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Having It All

If you are like most people in the USA and much of the "developed world", you like to think it is possible to have it all: partner, children, big house, career of your dreams, exotic vacations, good health, etc.  Substitute your particular goals as appropriate.

If I had known what it would be like to have it all - I might have been willing to settle for less. 
Lily Tomlin 

We also like to think this way when it comes to the environment: big house big car, cheap energy, clean environment, there are probably lots of areas where we think we can have it all, but it is complete delusion, and the sooner we admit it, the sooner we can get away from "wanting it all", and on to "wanting what really matters to us".  It is important to differentiate between these two concepts, because what really matters are those things we would give up everything else to have.

Finding Time

I have on occasion joked to friends that I was planning to invent the 40 hour day.   The patent rights alone should be worth a fortune :-) 

Despite the fact that I don't have nearly the level of time commitments that most people do and seem to need less sleep, it often seems like I am living life at a dead run.  The problem is that, like most of us, I want to do too many things and don't always make the best use of my time.  Despite this, I suspect my success rate is a fair bit better than most people manage.

Time is a created thing. To say "I don't have time" is to say "I don't want to."
Lao Tzu

Ultimately, it is not so much a question of finding time, but figuring out how you are currently using it, not wasting any of it, and deciding what really matters. This most emphatically does not mean never taking time to relax, but it does mean getting the most out of every moment.

Traveling and Living Lightly - Footwear

Are you a boot bigot?  Have you ever given any thought to why you wear shoes or other footwear every day (assuming that you do)?  Much of the world's population goes their whole lives without footwear with many consequences both good and bad.  Given the potential health, financial and other consequences, whether you are a hiker, world traveler, or just like a nice-looking pair of shoes, perhaps it is time to take a closer look.

Caveman

Whenever I see a problem, I like to ask myself one simple question: was this a problem for the caveman?  All of our problems big and small fall into one of the following caveman categories:

  1. It was a problem for the caveman. 
  2. We don't know if it was a problem for the caveman.
  3. It wasn't a problem for the caveman.

Traveling and Living Lightly - My Clothing

When living out of a backpack for long periods (seven months on my most recent trip), you need to carefully consider every item of clothing which you carry.  If we give the same consideration to what we wear at home, it can save money, time, and reduce our environmental impact as well.  This is what I currently carry when I travel and why.

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