Living Without “Stuff”
One of the first things you notice about South Africa is how small everything is compared to the US. Houses, cars, stores, packages of food… all substantially smaller than the US. I admit it’s a bit jarring at first, and it feels weird after living a life in the US.
Now, though, after nearly 4 and a half months, I realize what a blessing it truly is.
“Stuff” is just not a big deal here. Here in SA, people are much more interested in experiencing everything that the Rainbow Nation has to offer. From wine tastings to game drives to hiking in the mountains to beaches, there is no shortage of things to do and explore.
Shoot, within a few miles of our house, there’s a giraffe rescue and a cheetah rescue.
This morning as I was putting away the laundry, it hit me. “Stuff” is just not important.
Nature abhors a vacuum, and in the US, and I’m generalizing here, there’s a tendency to fill up every empty space with stuff. It’s an endless pursuit because the more stuff you have, the more space you need, which leads to getting more stuff to fill the more space you needed for the stuff you already had.
When I left the US, I said goodbye to a majority of my “stuff”. I moved here with all I could fit into three boxes I shipped and the three suitcases I packed for my trip.
It was basically clothes, photographs, important documents, and some mementos that mean a great deal to me.
That’s it.
Everything else was either donated, given away, or just disposed of.
It made me realize how much “stuff” we hold on to in the states for really no reason and how little we spend on experiences.
America is the land of “someday”, as in “someday I’ll go and see ____”. We’ve recently been watching A Million Little Things, and one of the characters said “You can someday yourself out of a life”.
I lived in the US for 48 years and there are places I never got to visit and things I never got to see. That makes me sad because I had “someday’d” myself out of doing those things.
This weekend Kim and I are going to a gin crafting class that I got her for her birthday. We’re going to taste different gins, learn about all the different things you can add to it to flavor it, and then each of us gets to come home with a bottle of what we crafted.
That, to me, is much better than “stuff”.
And that’s what South Africa is all about.
Since I’ve been here, I’m much more relaxed, I’m not nearly as stressed, and I feel more present in life. There are times while we’re driving where we’ll both be quiet simply because we’re taking in the beautiful view of our surroundings.
John Lennon once said “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans”.
I implore you.
Don’t simply make plans.
Ditch the pursuit of “stuff” and the glorification of “busy”.
Do all the things.
You only go around once. But if you play your cards right, once is enough. - Frank Sinatra
If you do ever want or get a chance to visit South Africa, I highly recommend you do. It’s a wonderful country full of wonderful people, beautiful scenery, and some of the best food and wine on Earth.
If you do come visit, do consider staying at Highcliffe House in Gordon’s Bay. It’s a beautiful guesthouse with a stunning view of the bay. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Thanks for stopping by… please “like” Biltong and Bourbon on Facebook, too…Lekker dag!
