In May I joined my local Buy Nothing group, and I have been on the receiving end of all sorts of generosity because of it. But in June, settling in to having a new apartment, my own space, and being back in the consumption fueled United States, the prickling of needs have started to arise: … Continue reading June: Conscious Consumerism
May marked my fourth month and third place living in a coronavirus-affected world: Portland. The long-awaited return to the locked-down city I love has been both exciting and depressing. However, in a week's time, May changed from being just another month of this shit to the month Joey and I got our own apartment, and … Continue reading May: Buy Nothing
Like just about everyone else in these later weeks of social distancing, I have been cleaning out my closet. Well, more accurately, I am organizing closets and drawers at whomever's home I am currently staying at. I recently (finally) read Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and doing so inspired even more cleaning … Continue reading April: Cleaning Out the Closets
Maybe you have heard the term digital minimalism. Or maybe it is just me who is constantly seeking out ways to be happier with less: less noise, less clutter, fewer things and worries and comparisons. Paradoxically, being content with fewer of these mental distractions means freeing up more mental energy and time to work towards … Continue reading March: Digital Declutter
When I lived in Thailand, everything came in a plastic bag. Iced coffees in takeaway cups: bagged; fresh fruit from the market: double bagged. The one that always killed me was when I would stop into a 7-Eleven post-run on a humid evening, red faced and dripping with sweat. I would grab a plastic water … Continue reading February: Single-Use Plastics
On my first day at school with the set intention of minimizing my personal production of food waste, I was served the biggest bowl of noodle soup I had ever seen. I am talking comically large: like, my own personal serving platter. I had never even seen the giant bowls that the soup was being … Continue reading January: Food Waste
Ah: January. Everyone has long since busted out their puffy jackets—"long padding" as it is referred to here in Korea—and despite people in Muju telling me this is a very weird, snow-less winter, I am still perpetually cold. January is also the time of year when everyone is focused on being their best selves. It … Continue reading 2020: A Year of Living Simply
