It’s after midnight and I am only half way through hanging my Christmas lights. Decorating your home for Christmas is a right of passage every man must go through. I enjoy it because my house will be the coolest one on the block. But, I ran out of time and lights, so I trudged inside the house to find something else to do. I am doing it.

Today I listened to “Fight Club” while I was working on my sites. One of my favorite line is when Brad Pitt mocks Edward Norton by calling him “Ikea Boy.” Norton’s character had built up an impressive home of trendy furniture, a closet of trendier clothes, and he’s entirely miserable. When I first saw “Fight Club” in high school, I loved it. I reveled in the anti-materialism and unorthodox rebellion. I’ve never been the same since.

But it’s been almost eight years since I first saw that movie. I’ve grown up a lot, in ways I didn’t expect. I acknowledge that to make it through each day, you need more than a bed.; But, I have control over what I allow in my life. Because truly what you own eventually owns you.

I’ve been in this house for almost a year, and I still haven’t painted a wall. But in the year of walking in and out of white-washed rooms, I understand that I this house will only become a home when it is kept simple. Because a home is a reflection of the person. I want to be a simpler person.

I can’t remember where I heard it…on the radio…or online somewhere. But someone was described as one who was, “indifferent towards things that truly don’t matter.” I want to be more like that.;