Growing Up Black and Minimalist
I grew up in rural Georgia in a family of six in a three-bedroom one bathroom home. We had a kitchen that was small with a table that seated six in the middle of the room. That did not leave much room for the refrigerator, deep freezer and washing machine, but everything fitted. Add the kitchen sink and stove; there was very little walking room. We did not own a dryer so, we hung all of our clothes on a clothesline in the backyard. We owned one television, and we all watched it together.
We reused everything bacon grease, aluminum foil, wax paper, jelly jars, paper bags from grocery shopping and the list goes on. It was the norm in my home and in my community to reuse and not to waste food, water energy, clothes, etc. We even saved our shopping trips to once a week, and we took the neighbor with us because she did not own a vehicle.
My parents purchased school clothes for us in bulk once a year. There were special occasions purchases for Easter, Christmas and the Fourth of July. Our school attire consisted of four shirts and four pairs of pants. You learn to be creative with a limited wardrobe. Mama didn’t buy fad clothes. She purchased each of us four quality outfits. These outfits would last throughout the school year. When we got home from school we took the clothes off and put them away. We understood the difference between school clothes, church clothes and play clothes. My mother put the C in a capsule wardrobe.
When it came to food, we ate whole foods. Rarely were chips, cookies, and candies purchased for the house. My mother cooked two hot meals five days a week, and three on the weekend. During the week, we ate lunch at school, which was also whole foods. We ate what was in season. Much of the time from local farmers. They came through the neighborhood yelling from their trucks, “Peas, butter beans, okra, tomatoes, watermelon!” The meat also came from local farmers. Many of the neighbors would donate scrap foods to feed the pigs. In return, we would receive bacon, pork chops, and skins. I had an aunt that would deliver beef from cattle that she raised. My mother made all of our desserts, cakes and pies and no junk food. We drink water for the most part, with an occasional kool-aide drink lol!
I rarely remember going to the doctor because we rarely got sick. I believe this was due to eating whole foods, playing outside in the sun, drinking water and living stress-free. My mother always told us not to keep up with the Joneses and live within our means. Daddy told us, the key to living stress-free is to mind your business. Now I keep these teachings with me, but I must admit that somewhere down the line I lost my way.
Lifestyle of Choice
There is a whole movement of being minimalist. People are paring down their possessions and living with only the things they need and love. Wearing self-proclaimed uniforms, adopting capsule wardrobes, eating more sustainably, and even getting rid of vehicles. Many people are choosing this lifestyle. My story is my family has always been minimalist. Not because they wanted too, but because they had too. At this juncture in my journey, I am thankful that I can choose to live with less. I am thankful for the teachings of my parents, who still live minimally, now, because they want too.
What’s Your Story
Living minimally has many benefits, from saving money, preserving the environment, to living a less cumbersome and carefree life. I realize not all Black people grew up as minimalists by choice, nor do they chose to live minimally now. Whatever your story is, share in the comments below, I love to hear about it. Peace and Love!
