Simplicity is Bliss

 

Elif was feeling bored. She wanted to find a friend to do something together. She started scrolling through her phone contacts. There were old elementary school friends she had reconnected with on social media after years, people she interned with during her university years, vacation buddies she met during a summer trip, and even neighbors from the first apartment she lived in. How long had it been since she last met these people?

She thought about how much her relationships had weakened. In the past, she had friends she could call to share her problems or go out with. But now, things were different. She questioned why she felt so alone, even in the age of communication. Was this normal? It had been years since she last spoke to them. Who would she even reach out to now? How strong were her ties with these people anyway? Wasn’t a relationship a mutual exchange?

She looked at her contacts again. “Oh my, the mother of my child’s preschool friend,” she muttered. They had moved to another city years ago. She had never bothered to check who was in her contact list until now. It was just like her sock drawer—filled with socks she never wore, mixed with new ones, and some even missing their pair. Why were all these things still there? And what about the kitchen drawer? Spoons from takeout ice cream, a cap from her child’s baby bottle, and a can opener she had never used.

“A thing that doesn’t benefit brings harm,” her friend had once said.

So, she thought, “Are the names in my contact list, the socks in my drawer, and the unused items in my kitchen all harming me?”

Her wardrobe was full of clothes she didn’t wear. The unworn ones were taking up space, but she couldn’t bring herself to give them away. She just moved them around while switching between summer and winter clothes. How were these things, just like her phone contacts, harming her? Above all, they were a burden to her. For instance, while looking for someone in her phone, she would press “K” and have to scroll past irrelevant names before finding the one she needed. Her clothes and extra shoes cluttered her wardrobe, stacked on top of each other, making it impossible to see what she even had. Cleaning them out and simplifying her life would really help.

She started with the easiest task: cleaning up her phone contacts. She realized she hadn’t spoken to many of these people in years. By evening, she also sorted through the clothes she no longer wore. Her wardrobe suddenly had so much more space. As she organized, she wiped down the shelves and added old shoes to the pile. Wherever there were excess items or unused things, she cleared them out. She couldn’t believe how much she had accumulated. Her eyes and heart felt lighter. The cupboards were free from clutter and mess; they had become simpler. Letting go of things she didn’t need felt good.

The things we keep, thinking they might come in handy someday, rarely benefit us.

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                      Experiential Design Teachings and Decision-Making Themed Blog

Experiential Design Teachings aim to give purpose to a person's life.

To be happy and successful in life...

"Since the existence of humankind on Earth, the greatest friend and foe have never changed. The person in the mirror..." 

Yahya Hamurcu 

Who’s Who? The Art of Understanding People 
Mastery in Relationships 
The Psychology of Success
Mastery in Avoidance
Designer (Strategy Design)

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