This to me is the most important paragraph:
I consider myself a minimalist, but I often worry that I'm not taking advantage of all the best options and opportunities available to me. I've dealt with this push/pull mainly by giving up being minimal in some areas, or perhaps only minimizing somewhat in others. (Of course, being "minimal" can mean entirely different things to different people.) I wish I could figure out a better way to mediate these without having to compromise.The options at mealtime are a microcosm of the lifestyle options available to the ordinary, free Western citizen. We have never been freer to live how we want to live, which is wonderful and empowering but simultaneously taxing and intimidating. I want to take advantage of the freedoms provided by the incredible time we live in without getting paralyzed by too many options and endless unmade decisions.