You know how we love a good challenge and I have been listening to Jen Hatmaker’s rumblings of updating her original book that was called 7. It was about eliminating excess in 7 areas of their lives.  In her updated version, Simple and Free, she apparently revisits all of these concepts to see what has remained true, what has changed and where things could be improved. I didn’t read the first version of the book, but it seems like a great exercise in eliminating excess in our lives.

I know that some of us might be wondering why anyone would want to delve into anything that eliminates one more thing in our lives.  It feels like we have just spent an entire year without and yet I’m guessing we all feel excess in at least some of the areas in which she addresses: food, clothes, spending, media, possessions, waste, and stress. Who hasn’t overindulged in snacks, beverages, Amazon purchases, Netflix, news and social media this year?  You are lying if you say you haven’t participated in any of these things or you actually do live under a rock.  Most of us spent weeks on end, snacking on chips, drunk and acting like we were on an extended vacation until we realized that we may never leave our homes or see our friends again and then we ate, drank and watched more Netflix because we were depressed.  

Maybe now, as we all emerge from quarantine and into the world again, is the perfect time to address areas in which we have excess?I feel a lot of resistance, I’m not going to lie.  On one hand, I am up for the challenge and ready to purge my closet, my kitchen, maybe books and furniture, but then I start thinking about how hard it will be as well.  What will she have me do about my Netflix addiction or my love for Podcasts and music?  Will she instruct me to give these up?  I’m not sure I can part with Crime Junkies. How will I stay abreast of all the unsolved murders in the world?  What if I have information that could be helpful to a case and I don’t listen to that episode because Jen Hatmaker said I needed to give it up?  I just don’t know. And then there are things like books, shoes and all the things that belong to my children. I mean, I know they don’t want these things anymore, but what if if they change their mind and I have to say, “oh I threw that out.” 

I just don’t know if I can do it and yet I feel drawn to participate in this experiment. As I write this blog, I haven’t even ordered the book, let alone the journal or study guide (which are not necessary by the way so I probably won’t be purchasing those because that feels EXTRA). I mean, do I need to study and write about my feelings during this experiment?  Is that the thing real thing we are after?  Reflections on our excess?  Do I dare go there?  Is she going to make me give up Amazon? I can’t even…I mean, I can blame Ms. Hatmaker for my false eyelash purchase that I can’t even manage to use. Yes, I tried, but I looked like a crazy woman standing in front of her mirror with two dead squirrels atop her own eyelashes. It doesn’t help that I am incapable of using liquid eyeliner which you must use in order to adhere the magnetic eyelashes. 

Jen Hatmaker  led me to the water and I drank, folks, and now she wants me to purge these things that she told me I needed.  I am not sure I can even trust her. Okay, she did recommend the lashes in 2020 because she was just trying to help us feel good about ourselves in a time that we all were just trying to survive so I guess I forgive her, but the real question is do I trust her to lead us on this journey to a more meaningful life?  I mean she also led me to Hamilton and that was AMAZING so there’s that. 

Okay, Jen. I am going to make the purchase and I am going to let you all know how my journey is going.  Anyone else want to participate? G? Seriously, we are thinking about doing this as a group and writing about it each week? Any interest? Who is with me? It’s not like I’m asking you to run for days on end in the dark or anything, it’s just a little experiment on excess. Okay, I really don’t even know what I am getting us all into, but it does sound appealing, right? If you are interested, please comment, DM, email or text us and let us know prior to next Monday as that is our start day. 

Sunshine & Sarcasm,
Lowi & G