Building new things

In the spring of twenty six we embrace complexity. The very idea is a big change for two people now three who have forever sought to minimize. Approaches like ours, when repeated long enough, become ingrained below memory. We leave the house intentionally with less than we expect to need. We bring a smaller bag than we probably should, or one fewer garment, or no umbrella, or no water, or no wipes. Occasionally we forget critical things, and the intentional but un-noticed minimalism is a source of frustration. Mostly thoughwe do not need to carry all the things we could think of to pack. On planes we are happy with three bags, with one backpack each, with less. On the road we wash clothes at friend’s houses, in hotels, in sinks. We wear dirty clothes to the park a second time, and sneakers to formal events. We give away clothes as soon as they are outgrown, and sneak well-used toys out of the house during nap time. We shed furniture with every move, only gradually re-purchasing basic…