We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

March 2018 - Van Life Part 2: Abundance & Minimalism

from Pause For Thought: BBC Radio Devon by Kimwei

/

lyrics

Abundance and Minimalism
I am a minimalist and often people can't cope. Clothes is what gets one of my friends. She keeps offering to buy my shirts. I say "but I've already got three." My part time teenager thinks the main problem in my life is that I don't have enough soft toys in my bed and earnestly bought me a life-sized fluffy duck out of his own pocket money, to rectify this problem. 

It’s true that I have only one pairs of shoes, which developed gaping hole right in the middle of the recent snowstorm, that I expect the god of irony was to blame for this, and that duct tape didn’t work on the hole, and I had to borrow your football boots, and this week I’m on emergency flip flops whilst I wait for the cobblers to do their work. Sometimes that’s minimalism, but I still think it’s worth it.

I live between my small van, housesitting and docking with friends and there's nothing like having very little space to make one thing obvious: minimalism is not lack, it's abundance. Being minimal is not about deprivation, it's about having what you need and getting rid of what you don't. 

Furthermore, having more than you need is a form of lack - it becomes a lack of space, lack of time and lack of resources. It becomes trying to get to one thing, whilst something else which should have been let go of, is still there, in the way. This is true of stuff, but once you get it with stuff, you get it with everything. Time and scheduling. Money and spending, after all, to be rich, you only need one pound more than you need.

These days, even emotional events are hoarded, daily photos, emails and texts automatically saved. Our past does not fade naturally. My emotional life too requires a minimalist attitude, reminding me to delete, delete, let go, become myself anew. Otherwise, well, it's trying reaching and grab the hand of who you’re going to be, whilst still holding onto the hand of who you were.

credits

from Pause For Thought: BBC Radio Devon, released January 30, 2017

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Kimwei image

Kimwei Exeter, UK

Pre-order Anthems For Change at kimwei.com !

Where is the soundtrack for the climate revolution? I believe it is down to us all to make it. This year I've teamed up with folk musicians Chris Dance, Lisa Rowe & Anita Clarinet to make the songs of tomorrow’s history: music that births change - a lush landscape of vocal harmonies, guitar, strings & woodwind to surround and transform you. ... more

contact / help

Contact Kimwei

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this track or account

If you like Kimwei, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Fabiana Palladino stops by to talk about her mesmeric debut LP.
listen now