Ten Things

In the Toronto Star there was an article about mindful living, and it told about the idea of narrowing your belongings down to ten things only. I assume that doesn't include food. Now I've discussed paring down in this blog before, thinking about reducing my material possessions down to a couple of suitcases. But to specify an actual number -- ten -- somehow seems very different. What truly do I need to sustain life and well-being? This is my list today. With more thought, I might come up with a different list, or my list might change depending on how things in my life evolve. But here's a crack at it:
1. Set of kitchen knives  (I'm counting sets as one.)
2. Toothbrush
3. Mixing bowls...or maybe utensils...not sure.
4. Pots and pans
5. Measuring cup and teaspoon
6. Laptop -- I'd put all my photos, genealogy, and writing in electronic format first
7. Books -- goodness, I don't know if I can narrow them down, but if I have to choose one, it's better to choose none and get them all on line with the laptop. If so, then I'd use this spot for the utensils.
8. Clothes, I assume. Winter coat and gear, four tops, two pairs of pants, a skirt, some socks and underwear, and shoes.
9. A bed and bedding
10. Toilet paper

I don't think I can pare down to more basic than that. And the laptop is almost cheating, because it really condenses many items into one. But that's a technicality.

Think how easy it would be to move house if that was all you owned. You could lose everything you own in a fire, and it's still as if you'd lost almost nothing. There's something wildly appealing about that concept.

Now I'm going to go sit on my comfy couch and watch TV with my feet on the coffee table and knit...  In the Ten Things world that would translate into sitting on my bed watching the laptop and doing macramé with my shoelaces...