Member-only story
Less Is Less
The life-changing magic of having just enough
I work at a circulation desk of a public library, and I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent watching people rooting through their purses, handbags and backpacks trying to find their library cards.
I stand there patiently as they remove bulging wallets from mammoth pocketbooks and start sorting through the plastic.
Credit cards. Health club membership cards. Insurance cards. Department store loyalty cards.
“It’s here somewhere,” they’ll mutter. “I know I’ve got it. I really should be more organized.”
I refrain from agreeing, “Yes, you certainly should.”
And I certainly don’t add, “What you really ought to do is get rid of most of that stuff.”
I just keep my mouth shut and marvel at the huge collection of crap most people carry around.
Finally, they’ll locate their library card and hand it to me. Or fail to locate the card. “What happened to it?” they’ll wonder.
Who knows? It probably is in there somewhere. The problem is, so is everything else.
I’m a minimalist. I only have one credit card. And just four other cards in my wallet. My driver’s license. My AAA card. My insurance card. And, of course, my library card.
