Simplicity To Me

I am not sure exactly the spirit in which it was intended, but I received an email yesterday asking me what it is about my life that I think is so simple. I thought long and hard about this and could write a dissertation about the ways that this is what my life has shaped itself into, but I won’t. At least I think I won’t. We’ll see how long this is by the end.

I will take a bit of time to express and example of an afternoon in words to try to describe it and what simple, frugal and fabulous means to me in my life.

2 weeks ago, on a beautiful summer weekday afternoon, I was playing outside with my kids. My son was running around digging in the dirt, picking up rocks and picking flowers. My daughter was drawing on the sidewalk with chalk and had the brilliant idea to have me lay down so she could trace around me.

I lay there still giggling at the the thought of her tracing me while staring at the blue sky watching clouds drift  by. My daughter traced me then asked me to move and traced me again and again. We giggled together at the silly outlines of me.

It was 2:30 in the afternoon and while we sat there playing together and enjoying a beautiful summer day, my hubby’s car drove up. The kids raced to him with gleeful shrieks of “da-deeeee” and he scooped them both up into his arms. Our usual routine ensued – hubby showered to clean up from work then met us back outside in the yard for an afternoon of gardening, watering, playing and exploring. The actions may change from day to day – what is one day an afternoon of gardening may be an afternoon of art projects, house projects or some other such activity that forces the creative juices to flow. Anyone who says that DIY projects and activities mean I’m not living in the moment has clearly never given them a chance.

After a couple hours of this, we all went inside so hubby and I could start dinner. We turned on some music and started preparing a fresh salad together while the kids danced in the kitchen, giggling as they tripped over each other’s feet. Hubby and I would occasionally stop chopping to squeeze in a little 4 person dance.

We ate dinner and talked about our day, my daughter gabbing about her adventures at school and what her teachers taught her that day. My son, mostly described as the strong silent type, sat quietly absorbing it all with a smile on his face and requests for more food on his tray.

After dinner, we got the kids into jammies and ready for bed. Book selections were made and kids were put to sleep to bring an end to our day.

Does this all sound boring? Mundane? I suppose it all is, but to me, it’s also beautiful. My life is not full of things or moments of much stress and worry. The things I worry about are mostly regarding health and safety and at the end of the day, those are things I don’t have a whole lot of control over. When it comes time to eat, we know where our food is coming from. We don’t have to worry about bills – the few we have get paid and we have no debt.

Do parts of this sound familiar? Does it sound a lot like the life you live? I would bet so. I don’t think we’re all that different from anyone else when you get down to it. Perhaps the greatest difference is attitude. I think the path to a simple life has a lot to do with how a person sees life. There are choices we make in life about how we feel and what we make of each and every day we’re given. My life feels simple because at the end of it, I am grateful. I take the time to appreciate small moments. I don’t harp on the past and the injustices of life but instead choose to see what is good that is in front of me.

Removing the emotional and mental clutter of strained relationships, the things that take up space in my mind and keep me from living in each moment is what makes my life feel simple. I am no longer worried about what others think but am now proud of where I am and what I do have. I don’t ever intend to talk about where my life is and make others feel bad. We all have our unique set of circumstances, our own goals and our own dreams. Simplicity, to me, is taking the time to understand myself, my needs, my dreams and my goals and to start living them. It’s not about what I do or don’t have, what I make or what I do. It’s just about a feeling of peace inside at the end of the day when I’ve lived out my life the way that feels right to me.