Northern Wind

On the subject of minimalism, George Carlin's classic bit on "stuff". Which is, in my opinion, good... stuff.

Leo Babauta of Zen Habits : "Minimalism is lightening your load so you can soar, & land lightly if you should falter."

Since mentioning my interest in pursuing the art of minimalism , I have to admit, I haven't accomplished much. Okay, anything. The funny thing is, the first thing I want to do is simple. I remember a couple of times as a teenager, wishing to loose some of my embarrassing flab and get fit, I went nuts lifting weights and just about killed myself. Needless to say, the habit didn't stick. I was in too big of a hurry, biting off more than I could chew. I look at this, as well as just about anything new, with the same mindset. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, as the saying goes. So I decided to start with the smallest space in my house, the closet. Actually, now that I think about it, I should probably start smaller, with the dresser. Every weekend, I swear I'm going to dive in and weed out all the stuff I don't wear anymore. Part of the problem for me is, I've been fit and overweight both several times in my life. I'm not attached to many of my ...

I think I'm going to add another dimension to the subjects about which I ruminate on this blog. In short, "minimalism". Allow me to explain. What, you may wonder, does "minimalism" have to do with budo, which is, after all, the focus of this blog? Maybe nothing. But then, maybe it does, if even in a broad, general sense. For starters, let me clarify: when I talk about "minimalism", I'm not talking about living like this guy: Not that there's anything wrong with that, if that's what you're into. Personally, I find this sort of thing a little extreme. My idea of the ideal home would look a little more like a Pottery Barn catalogue or something out of a Martha Stewart magazine (with a few hints of Japanese aesthetic sprinkled in). What I mean by "minimalism" is an approach to life, rather than a decorating style. One way I like to think about it is in a phrase an old graphic design professor, Dr. Jim Watson , used to drill into ...