The Bub in the Belly

When I was pregnant, I kept my life simple. I ate from a limited menu, preferring to be safe rather than sorry. I did a lot less clothes-shopping, bag-shopping and shoe-shopping, preferring to wait until after I delivered because I was not sure how much my tummy would grow. I wore much less makeup. Instead of trawling the malls and trying to keep up with fashion and what's new, I spent my weekends having breakfast at the beach, walking my dog in the botanic gardens, browsing the shelves in the bookstores, indulging in galleries and exhibitions, and just staying at home.

After I delivered Ryan in January this year, I looked around and I realised I had clothes/shoes/bags/makeup/books/CDs/knick-knacks/gadgets/etc which I had never worn/used/read/listened to/appreciated/paid attention to and which I probably never would. There were three whole rooms in my house which I don't use on a day-to-day basis and they are full of stuff. I spent a lot of time just 'tidying up'. I felt weighed down, burdened. Previously, all these were belongings, assets. Now, I just saw rubbish. No doubt there was good intention behind some of the stuff - I feel wasteful throwing things away and usually keep and try to re-use stuff like boxes, plastic and glass. But there was just too much now.

I imagined the scenario where something happened to me and Ryan had to sort through all my belongings/rubbish and I felt so sorry for him. I felt terrible that my legacy was going to be a huge pile of junk.

So I made a resolution to live a simpler life. My mantra for this year is to live with less, to buy less, to spend less. No longer pregnant, I continue to spend my time having breakfast at the beach, walking my dog in the botanic gardens, browsing the shelves in the bookstores, indulging in galleries and exhibitions, and just staying at home. And I don't feel as though I'm missing out on anything. In fact, I feel lighter, less stressed, relaxed.

Today is Blog Action Day 2009. All over the world, nearly 9,000 bloggers signed up to raise awareness by writing on the same topic on their blogs today, which this year is climate change.

I'm pleased to know that my new 'less-is-more' attitude is also a step to slow down climate change. How? Well, watch this video - The Story of Stuff. This is a "20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever."