Author Archives: Lily Fields

Rescue me from my happiness

In 2016, the year after my eldest was born, I became quite interested in the topic of happiness. I suppose part of it stemmed from the letdown of discovering that being a parent didn’t complete me the way I had brainwashed myself to believe it would when I was pregnant. I don’t know where IContinue reading “Rescue me from my happiness”

Challenge Update: Week Two

Buy Nothing and Don’t Covet Having a plan is fabulous. Keeping myself accountable to this plan is painful. I did buy something this week, and although it is not actually an item of clothing, I am going to report it: I bought a little set of what are charmingly called “Bachelor’s Buttons” (no-sew buttons forContinue reading “Challenge Update: Week Two”

Stripping Down

The word minimalism is treacherous. For me, before I started hungering for minimalism, it evoked monastic interiors of all white with an uncomfortable chair and an ugly flower arrangement. Today, minimalism has taken on a very different meaning. Let me show you what it means: This little experiment happened back in June 2020. I guessContinue reading “Stripping Down”

Saying Thank You and Goodbye

Only fourteen days into my challenge I have to make a tough, tough, tough decision. I have a favorite t-shirt. I inherited it from my mother-in-law, who had put it in a pile of clothes she was going to donate to the Salvation Army two years ago at Christmas time. I loved the color: aContinue reading “Saying Thank You and Goodbye”

The Cycle of the Imperfect Life

I mentioned here the vicious cycle of dissatisfaction. I want to take a deeper dive into that cycle, because it is at the root of so much of my discontent. The cycle looks like this: 1. See thing, love thing, want thing2. Connive to obtain thing3. Anticipate how thing will make life perfect4. Become inevitablyContinue reading “The Cycle of the Imperfect Life”

Pandora’s Box

The opposite of contentment is not misery, it is dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction can make us miserable. It is not however, the misery of poverty, hunger or isolation. We can be hungry and still be content. We can be isolated and still be content. It is dissatisfaction that gets me started on the vicious cycle of wantingContinue reading “Pandora’s Box”

Impetus for Minimalism, part two

Although as a child my favorite book was Little Mommy, once I got married, thoughts of being a parent were far from my mind. I wasn’t interested. There was no urgency. However, when, after fifteen years of marriage I discovered I was pregnant, I dove in with two feet. Naturally, being who I am, IContinue reading “Impetus for Minimalism, part two”