Living With Less While Appreciating More

Can #cottagecore exist while embracing city life?

I think the times I’ve been happiest are when I’m in a cabin either alone or with friends, living each day with outdoor activities followed by a good meal (often accompanied by a beer), then a deep sleep that can only come with physical exhaustion. 

I’ve also become addicted to watching videos of people living simple lives in the woods like Kalle Flodin, Jonna Jinton, and Hannah Lee Duggan. 

It makes me wonder: why haven’t I had the courage to transform my life the way that they have. Why haven’t I made the decision to move to a more remote location, connect with the land like I’ve always wanted to?

Then I watch the video of Hannah Lee Duggan moving the spider out of her outhouse and cringe. Actually, more than cringe. I think I almost threw my iPad across the room. A tiny spider was on my camera yesterday and I literally screamed. I’m not sure what I would do if I had to move one the size of my palm out of an outhouse. Honestly, I’d probably just dig a hole in my yard rather than move it.

 I also think about the double-feature movie day I had yesterday. My neighbor and I ordered pizza from the place up the street to enjoy while watching Thor Ragnorak and Ant-Man and the Wasp and it was glorious. Exactly the type of mindless day I needed after a tough week at work. 

I think about how warm my apartment is year-round. I think about how easy it is for me to shower, wash dishes, fill up my glass with fresh water. 

I also think about how much I’m going to enjoy heading to a pub in a year or so, when the Coronavirus is hopefully under control, and grabbing a beer with strangers. It’s not something I like to do often, but there’s something so wonderful about grabbing a drink with a friend while other friends grab drinks around you. 

It makes me wonder - how convenient is too convenient?

Part of the appeal of simple living is the fact that much of the convenience of everyday life has been removed. You have to work for your food, your water, your heating. 

And working for these things makes you appreciate them so much more. 

This results in contentment, happier living. We’ve seen how the small act of creating a gratitude journal can help with your daily happiness. The actual labor of love for everyday objects must increase that tenfold. 

But when does “getting back to our roots” regress us too far? 

We’re human, after all. We’re basically worthless without our minds. We have no fur to keep us warm. We have no fangs or claws (unless we’re counting what nail salons are able to do) to attack predators. We have dull senses that can’t help us. So it makes sense that we progressed to create objects that would do these things for us. 

Of course, I think we did so too quickly (the industrial revolution really did a number on society and the planet…). 

But is that where we should regress to? Before the industrial revolution? Which parts of our modern society (technologically speaking. Societally, there’s a lot more to unpack) should we remove from our lives?

I’ve read a lot of books that cover the hardships of living the prairie life. For many, it was taxing to the point of misery. 

I guess what I’m trying to ask is how simple a life do I really want? Realistically, what is worth doing the hard way?

I don’t have the answer. Some days I still consider trying the cabin life for myself. Other days, I’m so happy to live in my tiny studio with a landlord who has to worry if the toilet or stove break, instead of me.

Living simply while still living with a lot

What I’m trying to do now is live a more simple lifestyle within the city (which means I still have a lot). 

I’m doing this because of everything that’s happening to the Earth. I truly believe that our consumerism (and yes, I do work for a Corporate retail company, so I know the hypocrisy and irony of this and am battling that every day) is destroying the planet. 

Needing more and more and more is what is filling the world with trash. 

Needing less means buying less which leads to the creation of less which means less trash, less forests being cut down, less animals losing their habitats, slower heating of the planet. 

I’ve already shared some ways in which I’m trying to lower my waste while living in the city.

But now I think my goal is to recognize what I have in a new light. Not only because recognizing everything I have will help me reduce my consumption, but also because it will check my privilege. Because it’s not just people choosing to live a simple life who aren’t able to access these everyday conveniences, but also people who don’t have the money, employment, health care, mental health, family, to do so. 

Here are some things I’m thinking about today:

• The energy it took to heat my gas stove to make my coffee this morning. 

  • One of my new favorite tips is from Niamh of Fairyland Cottage. I can’t remember which video she shared this idea in, but I’ve been using it a lot recently. She’ll heat a full kettle of hot water in the morning. Then she’ll pour enough for her tea into her cup. The rest, she’ll pour into an insulated thermos. This allows her to have hot water throughout the day without having to use the energy it takes to heat water each time she wants hot water. 

• The fact that I can walk up the street to the small pizza shop for dinner (leftovers today) so that I don’t have to cook lunch from scratch. 

  • You can read more about my thoughts on leftovers here.

• What it means to have WiFi and a new laptop that allows me to write these blog posts and edit videos while listening to music on Spotify. 

• The amount of work/land that goes into growing and harvesting the blueberries, strawberries, bananas, and other fruits that sustain me for a week. I consume ridiculous amounts of fruits and berries. Thinking about the fact that I’m not the only person consuming this amount of food is wild to me. We require so much to keep going. We should recognize that and be thankful for every bite and consider consuming less if possible. 

Here are some things I’ve done to simplify my life while still living city life:

• Removed my microwave. I live in a small studio apartment. I actually like the amount of space I have, but my kitchen feels crowded. I realized that in my attempt to get back to whole foods and less packaging, I was no longer using my microwave. So, I decided to add it to the giveaway area of my apartment building. I haven’t missed it. I am no longer buying microwave dinners for days that I felt lazy because of all of their packaging and because of my attempt to eat for brain health and longevity. This was a great decision and opened up so much space in my kitchen.

• Reading. I try to never be bored. There’s too much to do and see to be bored. In fact, I’m overwhelmed by the amount of content there is to take in. A lot of the time this can mean watching movies and TV. But, as a writer, it also means reading. What I like to do during the weekends and some weekday mornings (when I’m not on a run or doing a low-impact workout in my apartment) is unplug everything and just read a book. WiFi unplugged, only natural light, and a book. I always feel so much better afterward. 

• No makeup/skincare. I never really wore makeup, but now more than ever, I’ve basically eliminated any makeup or skincare purchases. I do still use coconut oil on my face and vaseline on my hands (the constant washing, as we know, dries them out). But other than that, I’ve stopped using sheet masks—something I did do occasionally before (a friend did just send me this company dieuxkin that is making forever eye masks which I find exciting. It is still creating some waste, but I love seeing companies solve for the amount of trash that their industries are creating). Still, though my skin is certainly not as blemish/wrinkle-free as friends, my vanity is something I can live without. And so I am.

• Walking. I’ve written on here before about taking slow walks can help you feel good. I love adding a walk to my day. Not only because it’s lower impact than jogging, but because it is the perfect time to think, talk with a friend, listen to an audiobook or podcast, and find hidden treasures in your neighborhood/city. We’ve found so many hidden gardens that are escapes from the concrete and have saved me from losing my mind. We all need to be in nature and that can be difficult in the city, especially when the parks are filled with people who refuse to wear masks. So discovering hidden gardens is crucial. 

I’m not really sure what the point of this blog post was. I don’t think there’s a conclusion. I just thought I’d share what’s been on my mind. I am trying to figure out how to live more simply for my mental health and for the Earth. At the same time, I’m trying to figure out which modern-day conveniences I value and why I value them, and if they’re worth keeping in my life. 

Getting back to my roots while realizing the benefits of having evolved past certain hardships.