T Minus 4 hours

So it begins. A new project. A  new life project.

I can not claim any credit for the concept and idea behind this project; in fact it originated with, and has been done by someone far cleverer, socially and politically savvy than little old me. The concept however is exciting and challenging and will be one part of 2011 for us.

Like so many things in life, the book that is the foundation for this project came along at exactly the right time. As I listened to various people and read numerous facebook posts in the lead up to Christmas it was obvious just how much the season has become about over spending and over eating with an undercurrent of stress and tension. For many people it has become a ‘consuming’ season.

Consuming food, consuming presents, consuming us.

 Most of all, it began consuming me. The amazing and beautiful story that is the reason for the celebration started to become blurry in the midst of sparkly Christmas lights, pretty paper and the carousel parking lot I became all too well familiar with.

The book in question came to visit my house after I stumbled across it while foraging for books on a trip to the local library. The book:  Not Buying It by Judith Levine. This book landed on my lap and as I began reading, it quickly became apparent that it was a little bit more amazing than the norm. Dave (my husband) has since had endure constant interruptions as in my delight I read and re-read each of my favourite sections to him. The book is now 2 weeks overdue.

In the book the author and her partner forgo everything other than life necessities for one WHOLE year.  In one moment my attention was captured by a woman who was not preaching simplicity and of changing the world, but trialling a buy nothing year and all the while examining herself and society, as her journey unfolded. And for every moment I read her story a passion to just see what it would be like, not to imagine but to truly know, was unleashed.

And alas this is our project.

From tomorrow we will not buy anything that is not a necessity for a year. No more meals out. No more new dresses. No more movies. For one year we will buy only what we need to survive. Scary stuff. Especially given that we are the classic generation Y’s who have never blinked at buying a cup of coffee or buying that ‘something’ for no particular reason.

I am scared. Not so much of doing without this thing or that, as I know that we have plenty more than we need. But scared that I will not be able to do without the thrill of buying something and taking it home as ‘mine.’ I am scared of just what I will discover about why I do what I do, and how doing this little ‘project’ may just change my view on consuming.

And now I’m off to enjoy the fruits of my consumption, a perfectly gorgeous dress, to make some lovely new year’s resolutions which may or may not last til Thursday, and to forget about tomorrow and what my new year may hold.