National Simplicity Day – July 12, 2021

National Simplicity Day Was Created In Memory Of Henry David Thoreau, Who Was Born On July 12, 1817. Thoreau Was An Advocate Of Living A Simple Life And Wrote A Number Of Well Known Books On The Matter.

Traditions

National Simplicity Day Is An Opportunity To Reflect And Take Stock Of What We Are Filling Our Lives With. Those Who Take Part In This Holiday Take A Step Back And Compartmentalize What They Need And Don’t Need, And This Is Not Just Limited To Material Possessions — Inventory Is Also Taken Mentally And Emotionally.

Many People Purge Their Belongings, Removing Things They No Longer Need Or Clothing That No Longer Fits Them. Contributions And Donations Are Also Made To Goodwill Among Other Organizations.

In The Confusing World That We Inhabit Today Where Mobile Phone’s, Laptops And Other Modern Day Tools Mean That We Very Rarely Experience True Peace And Quiet To Gather Our Thoughts, What Better Excuse To Leave The Technology At Home And Experience The Feeling Of Truly Being In The Moment At Least Once A Year?

Some Interesting Facts:

1. 300,000 – The Number Of Items In The Average American Home.
2. 1 In 10 – The Number Of Americans Who Rent Offsite Storage.
3. 25% – The Percentage Of People With Two-car Garages Who Don’t Have Room To Park Cars Inside Them.
4. 32% – The Percentage Of People With Two-car Garages Who Only Have Room For One Vehicle.
5. 7.3 Square Feet – The Self-storage Space Available For Every Man, Woman, And Child In America.
6. 238 – The Number Of Toys An Average 10-year-old Owns.
7. 12 – The Number Of Toys An Average 10-year-old Plays With.
8. 30 – The Number Of Outfits The Average American Woman Owns.
9. $1,700 – The Amount Of Money An Average American Family Spends On Clothes Annually.
10. 65 Pounds – The Weight Of The Clothing That The Average American Throws Away In A Year.
11. $1.2 Trillion – The Money Spent By Americans Annually On Nonessential Goods.

National Simplicity Day Was Created To Free People From The Complications And Hustle And Bustle Of Everyday Life. As Much As Technology Has Made Our Lives Easier For Us, It Has Also Addicted Us And Created Competition In All Spheres Of Life — Comparing Lifestyles, Increasing The Desire For Acquiring More Things, And The Idea That Everyone Should Be Living An Extravagant Life. A Simple Life Hardly Gets The Spotlight On Social Media. This Is Why National Simplicity Day Emphasizes The Importance Of Directing Our Focus Internally And Doing Away With The Unnecessary Things In Our Lives. It Is A Chance To Re-evaluate Our Needs And Understand That “Less Is More.”

In Recent Decades, The Idea Of Minimalism Has Become Widely Popular. In Some Countries Like Japan, People Have Started To Understand That Their Lives Can Be Much Happier And Less Stressful If They Throw Out Items That Don’t Serve Them Any Fulfilling Purpose. Minimalism Has Spread To Domains Like Fashion As Well, Where People Are Opting For Timeless Articles To Create ‘Capsule’ Wardrobes, Rather Than Stocking Up On Fast Fashion.