Equipment and conflict

Equipment – don’t you just love it?!! Just having stuff and things. Buying cool new equipment. The pleasure of having a ‘tool’ that does it's job well, is great! I’ve been blogging a couple of weeks and in that time I have acquired a new head torch and a camera. Terrible really, but then the camera is partly for blog purposes and I lost my Go Pro Helmet Hero HD video camera in the sea whilst surfing and needed a replacement. (so it is fine!!!) I have to say in my years after university, I’ve made a hobby of buying stuff. Not good at all!

I also love not having stuff and things. I love walking round in just a pair of shorts in barefeet during the summer, particularly if it involves a newly watered vegetable patch. Wet soil between your toes. Awesome!

Now...I think...materialism and minimalism, are ever so slightly conflicting. I love to aspire to the minimalist approach; to life, the outdoors, and activity, but at the same time, I seem to be quite materialistic and like my kit.

One end of the spectrum – Riding a carbon fibre road bike with an awesome helmet and expensive clipless pedals, using a wireless cycle computer to check heart rate, cadence and speed.

And at the other – Running in ‘minimalist’ shoes. One of my favourite experiences of this year was wearing my Merrell trail gloves and just shorts running along a winding coastal path in Cornwall on a fantastically sunny day.

I can't complain really, I suppose we'll see where things go from here - More material or more minimal? Whatever direction, there's plenty of time!