Sunday, August 19, 2001

Simplification isn't all that simple

By MARY JANE HOLT
Contributing Writer

A while back I discovered something at Thriveonline.com entitled "Wellness, Ten Ways to Slow Down."

Naturally I was drawn to the list. Oddly, or not so oddly, the cue to "simplify" was found in two of the suggestions:

1. Simplify your belongings. Go through your bookshelf or a drawer and put aside everything you don't use, everything you don't love. Then donate it to the needy.

2. Cook a simple soup dinner for a friend. Enjoy the soup and your friend.

Then a few days later I was reading through a new book entitled "First Wives' Tool Kit, A Survival Manual" when I found these words: "In making a new life, it's important to let go of the clutter of the past. Coco Chanel once said, 'Every day throw something away.' Almost every day we add to the accumulations of our lives. If every day we could discard something we most likely would come out even."

Let's consider suggestion number one first, as in "simplify your belongings."

I'm sure you are probably aware of the word "correction" as it is so frequently used in reference to the stock market. You may be aware of it as I am, but often confused by its meaning in that context.

In a nutshell it would appear to me that the bulls take the market, seemingly every aspect of it, and run with it, usually too far, in some areas anyway, and that's when the correction must take place and the bears get to offer a bit of input.

Please know I do not propose to be any kind of market analyst. In fact, to many who are just that, I'm sure my comments may seem downright foolish, but bear with me. What I think a bull market really means is that we, the consumers, are buying like crazy.

If you will recall, I have been writing about the need to simplify our lives for several years now. And I'm not the only one. Go to any book store and take note of all the books on the market offering suggestions for doing just that and you will find the whole country is waking up to a need to simplify.

So how do we do it? On the one hand we stop buying and make do. On the other hand we stop doing and be still.

We have slowed down our buying but not anywhere near as much as we need to slow it down. American consumers should not just be tired of buying but angry at ourselves for buying products that do not last anymore.

It appears to me that almost nothing is designed to endure now. The designers and manufacturers have gradually taken control of our lives and we have let them. We let them dictate what's in and what's appropriate and what will help us keep up with not just the Joneses who live next door, but the Californians who live on the other side of the country.

There's only one way to "correct" this and that's to stop buying and make do. Right? Are we there yet? I don't think so. What will a real grass roots correction do to the stock market and to our economy? I don't know, but we are on the way to finding out.

Those who are reluctant to slow down and simplify need to remember that even plastic gives out sooner or later. I keep hearing that we are not in a real recession because folks are still spending albeit with plastic, but they are still spending. Add to that the number of layoffs you hear about almost daily now and ... just think about it.

Now, let's skip to the Coco Channel comment: "Every day throw something away." I have no idea in what context she actually made that statement, but I find it interesting that she said it. Certainly those in the fashion industry perform over and beyond in their efforts to keep us buying and buying and buying. Naturally we have to throw away in order to keep buying. Naturally? Or sadly?

There is a huge difference in throwing away or discarding clutter and really simplifying our lives.

Now back to suggestion number two regarding simplifying our lives. "Cook a simple soup dinner for a friend. Enjoy the soup with your friend."

Oh, you don't have time? If the "correction" continues you may soon have more time on your hands than you could ever want. Better look around now for a few cheap soup recipes and, while you are at it, look around and see if you have any real friends left or have they been what you've been discarding as you acquired so much stuff?

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