As I head into the final week of Simplify I am starting to think I will miss some parts of what I have learned. But of course that is the point. I don't have to miss the lessons I have learned I need to carry on and build on them.
As I have said previously the part I have found the hardest has been the cost of socialising - especially around sport. I know lots of socialising can come free and I have enjoyed some great hospitality but this has not been a proper substitute for my 3-5 sessions of sporting activity each week. But at least now I know the true financial cost!.
Overall I have been coping quite well on the £5 per day. In fact there have been many days where I haven't spent anything like that amount of money. My food has been planned and pre-purchased so I have found I need nothing more. But I do know this is highly unrealistic. I know there are big bills stored up which I would need to save for. So whilst I have been creative in making savings in my lifestyle and many of these I won't reverse, I am not at all complacent that I could live year after year like this without savings to back me up.
In the time I have created I have reflected quite a bit. Suddenly the amount of time I have spent thinking about food has been in direct correlation to the lack of money I have. I was humbled once to hear an Ethiopian boy when asked what he liked to do said "I like to pray for food". Even though I have had to think about how much I have to spend on food the fact that I can walk a matter of 100 m in any direction and find an abundance of food if I have the money is very humbling. In East Africa again this Autumn it is estimated that 20m face starvation. Even the £5 a day I have seems like luxury.
So when I have finished I will reflect properly on which bits I am carrying into my daily life. But for now I will try to get through this last week with a smile on my face and a determination to encourage more people to take this small journey to discover more about themselves. For that is what this is all about. We can find our true selves by what we are able to leave alone. And don't forget even if you win the rat race - you are still a rat!
