Over the past few months, I’ve been living pretty minimally. I could share a list of things I have, but it might be more interesting to note the things I don’t have. So here’s that list:
- Phone: They gave me a prepaid cell phone shortly after I arrived in Korea. I didn’t buy more minutes when they ran out. For a while, I was still able to receive call even though I couldn’t call out. Eventually, that stopped working. But I’m not planning to update it. Facebook and Gmail chat and Skype work for me.
- TV: My apartment here in Korea was supposed to be furnished, so I was disappointed that they didn’t provide a TV. Still, it’s probably a good thing. I didn’t watch much in America anyway. It gives me more of a chance to read or get out or just find interesting things online.
- Clothes dryer: No one here really has a dryer. Instead, we hang our clothes on our balconies or on lines inside. I don’t have much laundry, so it’s not a problem. Everything dries in less than 24 hours. In an emergency, I found a coin laundry a block from where I live.
- Car: I’m living in Seoul. Public transportation here is awesome. It cuts down on the traffic (and smog, though you wouldn’t know that from the air). Most of the time, though, I just walk. It’s good exercise and gets me out in the city itself. I love urban life.
- House: For a while there, I guess since I had read a lot of finance books, I thought for sure I wanted to buy a house. Not that I’d be able to buy now anyway, but the idea was still a longterm goal. Now, perhaps like a lot of people, I’m not so sure about that. I like living in the city, I like the flexibility, and I like the convenience. This will be interesting to follow as I get older to see how, or if, my view on this changes.
- Wallet: I lost it a while back and don’t plan on replacing it. Right now, I don’t even have a driver’s license either, though I’ll probably replace that when I return to America.
- Tattoos: My parents don’t like tattoos. It’s the least I can do to honor them. That, and I don’t like tattoos either.
- Girlfriend: If I had one in America, it would have been really difficult to move to South Korea. On the other hand, if I start seriously dating here, it’s going to make it really difficult to move back, or move on. Straight up, I don’t have a girlfriend because I’m not willing to commit to that life yet.
- Longterm plans: This is the toughest one for me. On one side, I feel like maybe I just don’t have plans because I’ve not been committed enough to make any. I feel like maybe I’m just making up justifications for why not planning is a good thing. On the other side, though, I feel like longterm plans are fake anyway. I have some ideas about where I’d like to be in five years, but is that really longterm?
- Bedtime: Actually, this is one I’m considering experimenting with in the next few weeks. For now, though, I don’t have a bedtime because I don’t go to work until 2:00pm, and I enjoy keeping my schedule flexible, staying out super late with friends or writing way into the night, or crashing early and getting up early to do something amazing with the day before work. It’s horrible for my health but wonderful for adventure.
If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m happy with many of the things I don’t have. By cutting out things others take for granted, I feel I can appreciate more. It’s still an experiment, but it’s rockin‘ so far.
“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” -Hans Hofmann
