A New Battery

Years ago I joined a Voluntary Simplicity class and it was a transformative experience. One of my lasting feelings is that I don’t have to live in a cave with 5 possessions or less, it’s more about checking in with a core value when faced with decisions, one at a time.

The short version of the recent story is that instead of buying a new smart phone I got the failing battery replaced on the one I already had. It felt like a huge win. It cost $55 instead of hundreds (or more). My phone is old enough that they don’t make them this small anymore, and I like the diminutive size. To me, with the new battery, it feels like a new phone! Plus I didn’t have to buy a new case, transfer data, or deal with the old equipment. (By the way, getting the battery changed took about 20 minutes at a chain store called Batteries Plus… who did not sponsor this message, haha.)

Then I started thinking: what else in my life “just needs a new battery”?

Years ago I closed down my business to take extended time off and consider a career change. After a lot of thought I realized that I liked my previous job, was good at it, and just needed to tweak a few things to make it better. Now I am doing more or less what I did before, but am a lot happier about it. Did my business just need a new battery?

I have been playing my junker drumset a bunch lately. Do I need a better kit and online lessons, or would sheet music for some favorite songs be a simpler-yet-better and far cheaper “upgrade”?

Management of my board game collection is a constant obsession: what to get next and what to get rid of. What if the “new battery” there is simply stasis: nothing is coming in or going out, just re-invest mentally in what I already have and make opportunities to use it.

And, at the risk of going too personal, there is my marriage. I like that “phone” a lot, too 😀. I think I can take steps to improve the battery life.

What in YOUR life “just needs a new battery”?