Sufficiency list revisited
When I go somewhere for a while, or move, I come back to my sufficiency list. This playful list was originally on a piece of paper and in my notes in my phone. Now it's in my mind and also in my academic paper. This is the sufficiency list from my paper: "laptop, phone, headphones, passport and other documents, notebook, pen, shoes, backpack, bank card, personal care items, towels, sweatshirts/t-shirts, trousers/shorts, bowl, fork, spoon, knife, stockpot, dish brush, tote bag, jacket, handkerchief, scissors, blanket, lunch box, mug, scarf, mittens. True as of August 2022".
The list is largely the same now in August 2023, but there are some changes. I digitalised some documents, so now there are less of them in the paper form. I decided not to use a notebook and have only digital notes in my phone and laptop. None of the kitchen items are mine: here in Finland I borrow them from a friend, and in Denmark I will borrow them from my partner. The t-shirts I use are his too. "Sweatshirts" is an exaggeration. I only have one because it's not as cold in southern Finland and in Denmark as it was in northern Sweden. Instead of sweatshirts I wear linen shirts.
When I contemplate my sufficiency list, I notice that it focuses on material objects. It was its original purpose too. But the more I think about it now, the more I want to add other items that matter. Living comfortably and happily with very few items is possible when the focus is elsewhere, not in the material realm. For example, love, spiritual growth and hope are important.
A while ago I thought that since I lived with so few items, there was nothing else I could do in this domain. I reached some point of sufficiency, or lagom. Then I started wearing, intuitively rather than intentionally, the same thing every day. I noticed how my skin is happier with far less on it (including "green" products). I noticed that I could wear a scarf over my head and didn't need a hat. I could have one set of bed sheets, and they would dry very quickly in warm Nordic homes, so I didn't need more. I could digitalise so many of my documents. I could borrow a lot of objects.