Dave Bruno

The author decided he wanted to try – for one year – to live with 100 “things” or fewer. That is, 100 personal possessions. It’s a way to curb his “American-style consumerism” – the always wanting more, or better, or bigger. He took about a year to plan how he’d do it, and to get down to those 100 items. He came up with rules, and admitted that it may not work the same if others want to try.

It would be harder for me, as he didn’t want to pressure his family (wife and 3 daughters) to do this with him, which meant shared items (one of his rules) didn’t count as “his” personal 100 things. I live alone. The bed, and other of his shared items, might have to be considered my personal things. Again, though, he encourages people who want to try to come up with their own rules around it, or ever a different number.

It was ok. He mused into a lot of philosophy, as well. I guess doing something like that might change how you look at the world.… (more)

The origin 100 Thing Challenge is ten years old now, before anyone heard of Marie Kondō and her ideas about home organization and purging the unnecessary. It's an odd book, with not a whole lot to give you insight into what it's like to live with a stripped down set of belongings for a year but much more than one would expect about outdoor adventure gear of one sort or another. Of course any first-person account of this sort is going to be quirky, as the author reflects on things that the reader may have no particular attraction towards. He mentions the idea of how the challenge would come off differently for a woman instead of a man, the difficulties of negotiating gift-giving among family members, and the effects upon society at large if this were to catch on in a big way. He isn't too interested in historical antecedents to a life of simplicity, for some reason, despite his Christian roots which he mentions frequently. So it's the kind of book that will frustrate some people and charm others, but one which has a message I think should be basically inoffensive.… (more)