The Year of Living More With Less: a SoCal Update

Sometimes I feel like the universe hears my warrior cries of promised self-improvement and says, "Oh yeah? Hold my beer."

Southern California is making it really hard to adhere to The Year of Living More With Less.

Mostly because everything out here is all about more. More things to do, more foods to try, more blogs on Pinterest dedicated to L.A. photo op bucket lists, more hidden spots to check out, more exotic places to be seen. And it has been really hard to ignore all of that. In the first month we were here, we visited the Hollywood sign (twice), went to 3 beaches in Laguna, visited the Channel Islands, attended a red carpet premiere, ate our way through Hollywood (including one cupcake from an ATM) and bought a bracelet from the wardrobe department at Days of Our Lives. And really, that is only the beginning. To be fair, we've been entertaining company for a lot of that, but some if it was just us wanting to do all. the. things. And that doesn't even include the Blue Star Museums that are free to us until Labor Day: The Velveteria (yes, it is an entire museum devoted to velvet paintings), the Western Museum of Flight, the Automobile Museum (which features life-size Hot Wheels cars on display a few times throughout the year).

Don't even get me started on the grocery stores. Do I go to Albertson's, Von's, Sprout's, Ralph's, Whole Foods or the butcher across the street? It's not a question of which one is closest. They are all 2 miles from each other. There is a farmer's market every day of the week and one farm down in Irvine that delivers fresh produce to the area once a week.

In fact, the only thing I have to drive any great distance for is a church, which sort of seems fitting. It's in Downey, about 45 minutes from here. It's not that there aren't churches here. There are. There are Baptist churches on the beach and Buddhist temples in downtown L.A. But to find the Moravians (which have merged with the Episcopalians) we have to drive.

There are more people (the only people I've seen more than once are the families in our neighborhood), more cars, more options for things to do, places to go and things to see than we've ever had. Ever.

Right smack dab in the middle of The Year of Living More With Less.

What's that sound? Oh it's the universe laughing its ass off. Well-played.

But what's the point of doing a challenge if you aren't...challenged? So, here we are: having the Come to Jesus that I never saw coming but desperately need. Where is the less in all of this?

I went back to Seventh Generation clothing and dishwasher detergent because the water here is so frickin hard. The thrift stores are hard to resist, not because something may have been worn by Catherine Zeta-Jones but because it's the only stuff that's reasonably priced. And how do I say "no" to an entire museum filled with velvet paintings? I just spent an hour spray painting Cadillacs in the desert not 2 months ago; you know resistance is futile.

So, now I have some soul searching to do. I have to get my book and my highlighter back out and start all over again. Not from the quiet, uncomplicated fields of the Keystone state, but from a place where the sun always shines and the bucket list overflows. I could absolutely keep going at this pace, but should I? Is it healthy? Does it allow for time to reflect? Is it shortening my attention span? Is it feeding my need for more? What does it teach our son?

I know that when Blue starts back to school in a few weeks some things will change. I will be hindered by a drop-off/pick-up schedule. You can't spend the entire day hiking Runyon Canyon and expect to be back by the end of school. And I will start my volunteer work with the International Bird Rescue, as well as in Blue's school. Plus I'll be back at my desk creating jewelry. So, all of that will keep me from running the roads. Maybe this is how summer is supposed to be. Mach 10 on the 405 with the wind in our hair and gelato smeared on our faces. Or maybe I'm making excuses because the idea of leaving here without checking everything off the list is what keeps me up at night.

But there will always be one more thing. One more live taping to see. One more taco truck to try. One more pop-up boutique. One more graffiti art walk. One more photo to take. One more distraction from the goal at hand. I can live more with less. I can do this. I can.