Democracy seems lofty in definition. Two countries that are related to me are India and the US. India is my Janma Bhoomi and America is my Karma Bhoomi. Both are democracies.

The last twelve years of my life have been spent in the US. I had not been interested in any of the Presidential elections that took place during the time. However, I have not missed on any of the debates in this Presidential election so far. The interest this time round comes from the candidates.

Both Trump and Hillary are interesting people. They have raked up enough dust to cover the continent and have brought to light the power of money in democracy. Whether it is elections in India or in US, it is money that plays a bigger role than the power of people. If people did have any say at all, it was only during voting. After that, their power becomes nothing.

I have not voted in any election in my 45 years of existence. In India, my name would never find it's way into the voters list, for archaic and bureaucratic reasons. Every time an election would be announced, some government officials would visit people's homes and take their names. But it would end there. I am not a US citizen, so, I get to watch people vote here. In a few days from now, we will watch another piece of history unfold here in the US.

I have been trying to live a minimalist lifestyle, with moderate success. For three years, it seemed like things were moving in the right direction. And then, we moved to live in Atlanta. And things went in another direction. Atlanta is an active retail city - a lot of malls, stores and food, unlike the little Oklahoma town we moved in from. Temptation sets in every once in a while and minimalism has taken a back seat.

When I practiced minimalism, my life was simple. Life was good without a TV and couch. There was less clutter and less baggage. The husband was constantly grumbling that I was not letting him buy things. Now, he buys what he wants and is a happy.

Minimalism went hand in glove with our wandering life. It was easier to pack things and move.

Clothes, plastic and shoes are what boggles me the most. Every time I go to the recycling center with a bag of plastic, I come home and see some new stuff has entered again. I carry reusable grocery and produce bags. But there are stuff where plastic packaging cannot be avoided.

I am hoping to bring back minimalism into our lives again. That would mean less buying and more living with awareness.