Fasting and Destuffifying

A weekend before Thanksgiving, Robert and I stopped by Target to use my $25 gift card I won from a dance contest. Well, well, well. We walked out with just a little over $100 of merchandise, paid for, of course. We got the UP movie dvd, a couple pair of pants, a couple of shirts, and three presents for other people. We managed to justify all of our purchases!

BUT with the hype and frenzy over the soon-to-come Black Friday, I keep remembering about how a couple years ago, I heard of families in tents or sleeping bags, lined up outside the locked doors of a store, having their Thanksgiving dinner! My jaw dropped. And then there were news stories about people dying from being trampled over as soon as the store's doors opened. I got livid.

Since 2006 when I came back from my volunteer trip from the Philippines working for World Vision among former squatters, I had made the decision not to spend too much money on "wants"--to be conscientious not only of my spending, but of my living in general.

Of my loving.

I just fell in love with the people I met because they loved me so well. It tears me up inside knowing that I participate in the institutions that reproduce poverty and further widen inequalities. Coming back to the US was such a...difficulty is an understatement. I cried all the time in front of my meals, cried sleeping on my warm bed, cried remembering everything my host family and neighbors did not have. It wasn't guilt. It was closer to anger. But it was definitely also deep sorrow.

But I was not without hope. Geez, it was hope that kept me going!

I take Isaiah 58 to heart because it changed me. I learned a whole lot more about God's heart for the poor and for justice. Not just about righteousness, and how sinners will face justice and all that self-focused stuff. I mean JUSTICE, like social justice, economic justice, racial justice, ALL that wonderful goodness. (Robert taught me more about liberation theology.) My "church" as a little kid and throughout my teenage years did NOT teach me that about God. I only got the version of her that cares about sin management. (Yes, I said 'her'. I believe that God is not confined to being a man or a father. I also only got the version that God is male.) Anyway, I knew back then that it was good to help out the poor because they are in need, but that "discourse" only made me think about helping in the personal sense. Yes, it's important, no doubt. But I learned from Isaiah 58 that helping out the poor also includes being subversive about structures that keep people poor and oppressed.

SUBVERSIVE. I like that word. It's what my grad school cohort members might call 'sexy'.

So the thing is, I still haven't stopped crying over remembering my host family and neighbors. I still cry at seeing it happen, even if just from time to time. But being in a society that talks about retail therapy and worships sales and BOGO 1/2 off, well, let's just say I learned to shop well. Most of what I own are hand-me-downs and thrift store finds. Some are clearance sale items. I'm proud of that, but as of late, I have been feeling VERY STUFFED up. (Not just in the cold-stuffed-up sense.) But feeling very bogged down.

My grandma has a good way of saying it. What would you really only carry with you if it's flooded or if the house is burning? And my grandma lived those experiences. She had her house flooded up so many times and her house as a young woman was burned down. Needless to say, she keeps very little stuff. And most of what she does have are presents. And most of what she does buy, she gives away.

So Robert and I are FASTING.
We are also DESTUFFIFYING. (We want to get credit if this word ever gets around! Hehe)

Below are our strategies to FAST and to DESTUFFIFY:
1. We decided we want to live in a smaller place (1BR/studio) so not only would we save money but that we would stop from accumulating so much more things because we don't have that much space to start with!
2. Destuffifying for us means selling/giving away a lot of our stuff. Just last night, we went through all of our books and we had such a hard time deciding which to keep and which to not. So some of our friends and family members will get a book-present and a note that says: "We want you to have this book. We're so attached to our books, but we wanted a gift that was also a sacrifice as a part of our effort to let go." (Something like that, but more eloquent.)
3. Giving presents to each other in affection will include only: cooking for each other, or eating at a moderately-priced home-feel restaurant.
4. Asking our families and friends to keep in mind our "fasting and destuffifying" plan so if they feel inclined to give us presents, we will encourage: cash, food, or to sponsor a cause we believe in.
5. We are not buying anything for a year. (Our end date will be the week before Thanksgiving in 2010.) We did, however, already make three exceptions for books: the 3rd books to Abarat and The Mysterious Benedict Society, and one Yoder (theology) book. [We will still, however, buy toilet paper, paper towel, and other similar household needs. We also made allowances for curtains and an outdoor storage closet in case our next apartment is super small.]

I will update the blog as we proceed with our strategies. (As well as other fun stories, photos, or videos.)
IF you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please leave comments, and I will respond as soon as I can.
IF you decide to join us in our efforts to do this, I would love to know! Adventure loves company! Let's learn together.

By the way, I did fast-for-a-year (no buying) deal in 2005 (before I left for the volunteer trip). It went pretty well, and I just made an allowance for buying new underwear (I had gained some weight) and a couple of interview clothes (I needed professional-looking ones for my job hunt). But it'll be different somehow this time around because I'm married and I'm in Santa Cruz (I still feel like a newb here).

It's always important to remember that we are fasting-and-destuffifying out of LOVE and HOPE for JUSTICE. What we are doing is ultimately very personal, to continue to change our hearts, minds, and behavior...but we will continue to look for ways to seek for change at the institutional level.