Less Stuff, More Joy Ways to Live Simpler and Lighter on Mother Earth by Ronica O’Hara
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hen holistic wellness coach and personal trainer Sergio Rojas saw his contract with a trucking company terminated by the pandemic, he and his wife Krista turned it into an opportunity to step away from a life of too much stuff and over-scheduled activities. “When life gets too complicated and there’s too much going on, you get stressed and irritated easier,” he says. “You don’t feel connected to yourself.” The couple sold their 4,200-squarefoot house in Dubuque, Iowa, along with 85 percent of their belongings and spent eight months living out of suitcases exploring the southeastern United States and Latin America with their 14-year20
old daughter and 12-year-old son. “We wanted our kids to see what it’s like to downsize, to live with less,” says Rojas. After considering Vancouver and Miami, they settled in the Atlanta area in a townhouse half the size of their Iowa home not far from extended family. “A simpler life lets you focus on what’s important,” he says. “We have deep, deep conversations with our kids, and dinner can be a two-and-a-half-hour experience, with a game of cards and singing songs.” Not everyone moves in such dramatic fashion toward a simpler lifestyle, but thanks in part to the lessons of COVID-19, intentionally living with less is gaining currency across the country. “The
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pandemic gave us an uninvited sample of a more minimalist and simple life, and we have all become acutely aware of what feels good to let go of and what’s really important to us,” says minimalist blogger Ema Hidlebaugh, of MinimizeMyMess. com. According to research from the multinational consulting firm Accenture, the pandemic made consumers more mindful of purchases, more conscious of food waste and more interested in sustainable, local options. Other polls found that two out of three Americans adopted more eco-friendly habits during the pandemic, and that 52 percent are open now to living in a van.
