I spent a few years of my life backpacking in a few countries and learned how how to manage my stuff in order to live out of a 35 litre backpack. I had to be mindful of what I took with me with such limited space.

I’ve since carried that approach to my life at home and tend to be proactive in dealing with what I buy and own. One way I try to be proactive is to make a list of stuff I want or think I need instead of buying it as soon as possible. Most times something sits on the list for a long time and I’ll just remove it. It’s a good indicator that I don’t need to buy it and it will only cause more clutter. This is sort of something I made up over time to work around my adhd impulsiveness so it may or may not help others.

Whenever I hear news of Pierre attackjng Trudeau, I get flashbacks of that youtube video of him cosplaying a lunch date with Trudeau.

The only thought that follows after that is the old playground story of a bully who is so infatuated with someone but unable to express themselves so they continue to bully harder in hopes of being noticed. The absurdity of this individual is painful.

I joined r/minimalism when it was a young but already established subreddit. The message back then was to ensure what you owned brought some sort of value to your life. It was a bit broad and ambiguous for a reason. We are all unique and there is no one size fits all minimalism.

It quickly turned into a strange mix of ideals. Minimalistic aesthetics such as clean edges and blank walls took over. There was also a competition brewing between those could own the least amount of things. Suddenly you could buy happiness with minimalism. Buy that smooth, round edged minimalistic table and fancy multi-purpose item to show how minimalistic you are. I had to unsubscribe because of how soulless it began to feel.

It feels like capitalism and white washing good intentions can really suck the authenticity out of anything and everything.

For a brief moment I was into the idea of prepping until it I realized that no living creature can escape this mess. I’ve prepped enough to be mobile with the idea that mutual aid will fill in the gaps somehow.

Not the best plan but I can only push through my indifference so much. I’m trying to spend my time now with the people I hold closest to me and making sure they know how much I appreciate them.