THE PRINCIPLE OF FIFTEEN

A friend of mine asked me, "How do you ensure that you have the right amount of clothing as a minimalist." I answered, "The Principle of Fifteen."

So how does this work? I created the Principle of Fifteen in 2016 when I fully embraced minimalism. Usually, I would do my laundry every two weeks. This means that I have already used 14 pieces of clothing, let's say 14 shirts, if I use one shirt per day. If I do the laundry after two weeks, it means I need at least 14 pieces for me to survive, with one more shirt on my body as I do the laundry. This makes it 15.

The principle is simple. For as long as I have 15 pieces of each kind... shirts, shorts, pants, underwear... I will survive.

This number is always on my head as I open my closet. The moment I see one type of clothing exceeding 15, I responsibly donate the rest.

Should I buy a new one, I simply remove one from the closet. One in, one out.

And I maintain fifteen.

NOTHING BEATS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT EXCEPT LOVE WITH INSIGHT

In “One Woman’s Liberation,” Shirley Boone writes: “Talk about blind adoration! When Pat and I married, I was so much in love I didn’t have any sense at all. Pat has said in interviews that we married fully aware of the serious adjustments we’d have to make and the financial crises we’d face, but he was speaking strictly for himself. As far as I was concerned, I wasn’t aware of anything except that he was wonderful and that life without him would be miserable.

“I understood exactly how Mary, Queen of Scots, must have felt when she said of James Bothwell, her third husband, ‘I’d follow him to the ends of the earth in my petticoat,’ because that’s how I felt about Pat… If Pat had suggested it, I would have gone with him to Timbuktu without batting an eye. He was my life. To me, he was perfect, and that was the beginning of our troubles, because anyone placed on a pinnacle can go in only one direction: down.”

Shirley and Pat Boone worked through their differences to create a strong and lasting marriage, but the beginning of their true success as a couple came when they each recognized this cardinal truth: nobody’s perfect.

Reference: God’s Little Devotional Book for Couples. (2002). Manila, Philippines: Lighthouse Inspirational Books & Gifts.

LOVE IS BEING WILLING TO FACE THE RISKS OF SEEING YOUR SPOUSE’S DREAMS COME TRUE

In their book, “My Lover, My Friend”, Colleen and Louis Evans, Jr. write: “David and Nancy Low are one of the most exciting young couples we have met since coming to Washington. He is a financial lawyer, and she is a top flight public relations administrator…”

“After working in another state for a well-known and respected political leader, Nancy was offered a very high position in a federal government agency. This opportunity was made even more exciting by the fact that it had never before been offered to a woman. David felt the offer was a high honor and urged Nancy to accept it. He was confident he could find a job in his field in Washington. So, submitting to Nancy’s career potential, they pulled up stakes and settled here.”

“Some men would be threatened by this type of situation. If a man wanted to prove that he didn’t need other people, if he were an “emotional do-it-yourselfer,” then he might resist the emergence of his wife’s career, especially if it were an outstanding one. But David is a strong man, eager and able to become a servant to Nancy’s development. That is healthy ‘headship’ and management.”

Reference: God’s Little Devotional Book for Couples. (2002). Manila, Philippines: Lighthouse Inspirational Books & Gifts.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING A FATHER CAN DO FOR HIS CHILDREN IS TO LOVE THEIR MOTHER

Washington Post columnist William Raspberry wrote a loving tribute to his wife, seemingly unaware that he was reflecting his own role in her success: “The second Sunday in May was not just Mother’s Day for our family – it was Mother’s Graduation Day, one of the great moments in our household.

“My wife, Sondra, was one of those ‘responsible’ young women who decided after high school to spare her family the economic burden of college and go directly to work. Then she got married, and her family became her first priority.

“I don’t know precisely what made her decide to go back to school… It wasn’t easy, studying parttime while managing the lives of a husband and three children…

“On graduation day, it was announced that she had been inducted into both the adult honor society and Phi Beta Kappa. The kids shrieked as though she had won the Nobel Prize for Smart Moms. Some people may have trouble understanding how we could get excited about something as routine as a bachelor’s degree. But if you have ever taken up something difficult and made a howling success of it, you’ll understand why we are so proud.”

Reference: God’s Little Devotional Book for Couples. (2002). Manila, Philippines: Lighthouse Inspirational Books & Gifts.

A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST IS THE CORNERSTONE OF MARRIAGE

Marriage involves a blending of lives, not merely a “joining.” Many marriages flounder because the individuals in them keep looking back over their shoulders at freedoms and relationships they had in the past. When a couple invites Jesus Christ to be the cornerstone of their marriage as the true point of strength on which they build their relationship – they are inviting him to “walk out front” before them. Then he is free to lead them forward into the unique purpose He has for them as a married couple.

We are unique as individuals. But each marriage is also unique. It is as “individual” and one-of-a-kind as the two people involved. Just as God created us as completely original individuals, so we need to invite Him to create our marriages as completely original relationships. This can only happen when each person in the relationship yields his or her individuality to God’s higher purpose.

As C.S. Lewis said, “Self exists to be abdicated. In self-giving we touch a rhythm, not only of all creation, but of all being, for the Eternal Word also gives Himself in sacrifice.”  

Reference: God’s Little Devotional Book for Couples. (2002). Manila, Philippines: Lighthouse Inspirational Books & Gifts.

MY MINIMALIST WARDROBE

4 - Formal pants
4 - Jeans
1 - Jogging pants
7 - Shorts
5 - Pajamas
5 - Long sleeves
15 - Regular and muscle shirts
7 - Sweat shirts
2 - Formal coat
7 - Sweaters
2 - Barong attire
10 - Shawls
15 - Underwear
15 - Socks
15 - Hankies and face towels
15 - Sando shirts
2 - Neck ties
1 - Ribbon tie
1 - Belt
1 - Rubber shoes
1 - Black shoes
2 - Slippers
1 - Eyeglasses

Total = 136 items

Is this minimalist?

WHY AM I A MINIMALIST?

Credit card debt. That was the turning point. It was 2004 and I was faced with a debt amounting to 100,000 Philippine pesos or 2,000 USD. And every month, the interests and charges were making the situation worse.

Down on my knees praying to God for help, I cried and made one very high scream. And it made me realize that I was very tired of my situation. Too tired, that I slept on the carpet in my living room. When I woke up, I saw how beautiful the interiors of my house was, and how much I owned. And on one side, a vacuum cleaner which I have not touched for months.

"I haven't used it. Why?"

Reality bites. I was buying things to prove to myself and to others that I have possessions. And I would use the plastic card called credit card to buy it. Slowly, I reached for my wallet at the back of my jeans and saw the credit card in one of its pockets. HSBC. Issued in 2003. One year since I first used it, and I was in debt.

I got up from the carpet and my place revealed more things. And I uttered the words... freedom... space... time. As if somebody was whispering these words... freedom... space... time. I repeated it many times. Too many, that I couldn't count how many times I uttered it. 

It was what my heart was saying. Freedom... space... time... I was very sure about it. I long searched for it... freedom... space... time... 

2004 became the start of a journey. A journey which I later learned as minimalism. 

THE FAMILY BEGINS IN A COMMITMENT OF LOVE

If you were to hold a lump of dark green clay in one hand, and a lump of light green clay in the other, you could clearly identify the two shades of color. However, if you were to mold the two lumps together, kneading them thoroughly until they were truly blended, you would see just one lump of green clay… at least at first glance. Upon closer inspection, you could see the distinct and separate lines of dark and light green clay, yet it would be virtually impossible to separate the clay into two pure colors again.

That is an image of what it means for a husband and wife to become “one flesh” – love binds the couple together, especially as they knead out some of their differences and develop a life of mutual goals, activities, and relationship.

A grandma once told her young granddaughter that Jim and June were coming for a visit. With eager anticipation, they baked special treats and cleaned the house thoroughly in expectation of their overnight stay. With wide-eyed wonder the little girl exclaimed upon their arrival, “Nanna, there are two people. Someone came with Jim-and-June!” When the name of one is so readily associated with the other… the clay truly has been blended!

Reference: God’s Little Devotional Book for Couples. (2002). Manila, Philippines: Lighthouse Inspirational Books & Gifts.