Gandhi and his possessions when he died

                                             

“You may have occasion to possess or use material things, but the secret of life lies in never missing them.” ~Gandhi

Mohandas K. Gandhi was a man a few possessions.At the time of his death he had less than 10 items.Always giving away or auctioning off gifts he received.

two interesting notes:

The Zenith pocket watch, and it has been said and it's been written that Gandhi had a preoccupation with time. He was never without his watch.

His glasses: many people identify Gandhi with those, small, round spectacles that he wore. Once Gandhi took his glasses off and said, these were the eyes that gave me the vision to free India.

My Monk’s Bowl

‘A monk’s bowl’ (hatsu’u) refers not only to the physical object that is given to novices upon their being ordained and which is to serve as their mealtime bowl from then on, but also to the monk’s willingness to accept of whatever is placed in one’s ‘bowl’, be it physically or spiritually. It is therefore a symbol of the practice of all-acceptance.

                                                          My Monk's bowl


About 4 years ago,I was reading a book that i picked up from the Library,and it talked about A Monk's Bowl .I remembered in my kitchen cupboard a small mixing bowl that I thought represented that bowl. I wanted to control my food portions and also have a ready to use cereal or food bowl.Now I use the bowl not at every meal,but almost weekly.

I have a top shelf in a cupboard that is all mine. and I have placed my bowl and the following with it.

chopsticks : they are just fun to eat with!

my dad's army fork. I keep that in a box since i was a little boy and finally have put it to good use.

a nice solid looking spoon: i just like the look and feel of it.

I use the bowl to help me with portions (i have lost weight because of it) It also is a reminder to me to be thankful in what is prepared and cooked.even if it is something i do not like to eat.and it has many uses. I can use it for cereal, a drinking cup,or for meals. I am looking for a special cup to add to the collection and I always have them at the ready for when i need it.

30-Minute Daily Organizing Using Time Timer

This is a helpful video

http://www.youtube.com/user/HomeOrganizing?feature=watch

How To Turn A Beer Can Into The Only Camping Stove You'll Ever Need

How To Turn A Beer Can Into The Only Camping Stove You'll Ever Need from Tom Allen on Vimeo.

Just something i found,That i just feel right now in my life!

first step-books

Today I am just looking at all of my books and trying to pick the best ones and take the others to a used book store later this week or next,or maybe sell them online.

question what is the best source to sell used books?

how can you find a $$$ money value for a used book?

please leave a comment below.

I woke up today with a flat tire on my van,a lesson in self reliance

Part of living a more deliberate lifestyle is self reliance.Having skills to do things yourself,instead of having someone do it for you..Now today when i went to get into my van,I had a flat tire. Not a good way to start your day.but lucky for me I know how to change a tire.after i put the spare on,i drove to a local trustworthy tire dealership and had them fix the flat.It had a nail in it.total cost to fix it $12.75
if I would have had purchased the tires at that place it would have been no charge.

I know there are many  people who do not know how to change a tire. Do you know how?
maybe you are a male or female, it doesn't even matter what age you are at.This should be something you need to know how to do.

Let's say you never have learned this skill?what do you do?

Ask someone who knows to teach you,or you can even watch a YouTube video and then go try it yourself. also look at your cars owners manual for additional information.

Do you know where the spare tire is located?Even if you know how,be sure to check if your spare to see if it is still full of air.Some of the newer cars do not even have a spare tire.but offer a fix a flat can?How lame. well below is a video i found so you can watch how to do it.

Why not go and  do it,even if you do not have a flat tire right now.go and practice.Find a nice Saturday and  just take it off and put it back on. make sure you have the lug nuts on tight,but not too tight.

do you know how to change a tire?did this post help?leave your comments below.

What is this Deliberate Living blog about?

I decided to make this blog about my journey towards Deliberate living and living with less "stuff". I have been pleasure reading about Minimalism and living a more simple life for 8-10 years off and on. Some of the blogs and web pages i have enjoyed, have been more towards small houses and I have enjoyed looking at pictures of how people live with less,and the creativity in living that lifestyle.I also have read blogs and articles on the Minimalist lifestyle,always wanting to take the next step and actually declutter my house and things i have acquired.I just haven't been motivated enough i guess.

Recently through twitter,I was lead to a video on YouTube of a Seattle meet-up that The Minimalist bloggers Ryan Nicodemus and Joshua Fields Millburn had.It was the start of me deciding that if i made a blog it would help me move towards and make steps to becoming a Minimalist,and living a more deliberate lifestyle.The common theme of that Seattle meet up about Minimalism was Living a more deliberate life.So i decided to title the blog  Deliberate Living.

So in starting this blog I hope to talk about and do the following:

Motivate myself to do those things, i have wanted to do. example :like reduce clutter and rid myself of unused items that i have held on to for more than 6 months.

help educate others towards a better more fulfilling way of life.And hopefully help them towards taking action steps to declutter their houses and live a more deliberate lifestyle.

connect with others on the same journey as myself and learn from them.

and many more things too long to mention in this blog post.

So with all of that, I always like to start out by finding what Deliberate or simple living is all about. So according to wikipedia it says:

Deliberate or Simple living encompasses a number of different voluntary practices to simplify one's lifestyle. These may include reducing one's possessions or increasing self-sufficiency, for example. Simple living may be characterized by individuals being satisfied with what they need, rather than   want. Although asceticism  or a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from various worldly pleasures generally promotes living simply and refraining from luxury and indulgence, not all proponents of simple living are ascetics. Simple living is distinct from those living in forced poverty, as it is a voluntary lifestyle choice.

Adherents may choose simple living for a variety of personal reasons, such as spirituality,health, increase in quality time for family and friends,work life balance, personal taste, frugality, or reducing personal ecological footprint and stress.Simple living can also be a reaction to materialism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_living

let me know your thoughts,leave a comment below.