The Simple Life?

Simple. What a beautiful word!! An ordinary word that speaks to the core of my soul. Sadly, a word that is so easily lost in the fast paced life we live here in America.

I worked with a guy who periodically wore a t-shirt with the words “Live Simple” across the front of it. I coveted that shirt. Every time I saw it I let out a deep exhale. It was a jarring reminder of my true desire, in the midst of a chaotic school day.

In my lifetime I have purchased one, non-teacher, magazine subscription - Real Simple. It brings a little smile to my face just seeing it lying on my bathroom floor.

When I wear an “outfit” I usually have two, maybe three, accessories. Earrings, bracelet or scarf, and shoes. My younger sister, Hannah, politely calls my look – classic. I have to wonder if that is code for – boring. A coworker told me the other day that she heard that a truly put-together look requires seven to eleven accessories. Eleven!!! I have been trying to figure out for days how exactly you get even seven extra things on your body. Shoes, purse, glasses, earrings, bracelet, necklace, scarf? I can’t quite imagine how this would look like a completed outfit. I suspect it might look more like my friend’s mom who wears all her necklaces at once. When you’re seventy you can do that, not really sure I could pull it off.

There are certain times of year that my craving for the simple life comes head to head with the demands of our society. Just thinking about Christmas triggers a minor panic attack. All the shopping and presents and stuff, and stuff, and stuff that fills our home. Ugh!! Who needs 10,000 different kinds of tiny Lego guys? I know that my family is reading this and thinking that dad has taken over this blog. But, no – it’s me, his daughter.

School shopping is another one of those times – kids need new clothes, shoes, backpacks… Typically, I try to trick myself, by spreading out the shopping, so I never really know the total amount of my purchases. “I only spent $20.00, that’s not so bad.” Or - I send Mike. He comes home with the bags of merchandise – I don’t ask how much, and he doesn’t tell. It’s a nice little arrangement. However, this year the shortened summer required us to do some power shopping – shoes, clothes, school supplies, backpacks… All in One Day! I thought it would be ok since it was things that they needed to begin the school year. Alas, no. Images from our trip to Africa kept invading my thoughts; little children with one shirt, no shoes, and broken crayons made me ponder if our purchases were real needs. By the end of the day I thought my head was going to explode!! I was ready to send it all back and force my children to wear their pajamas to school, and carry their supplies in a nice Target bag.

I’ve been pondering this idea of simple for weeks. Is there such a thing as “the simple life?” I daydream about selling everything and moving to Africa, where life is simple. When I come back from Litchfield, my small hometown in Minnesota, I long to move back to a simpler time. But, is it really? Would these places really provide me a simpler life than the one I live today? The answer is, of course, no. I think during these times, what I’m really searching for is contentment.  And contentment doesn’t come from a location. Contentment is a state of being; a peace that comes from deep within me. It is in these frantic, consumer-filled times, that discontentment slithers in – and before I know it, I’m consumed by it. I’m spinning round and round, obsessing about all my “wants.” I want to a bigger home, I want a new wardrobe, I want blonder hair, I want 5 pounds gone. I want, I want, I want….

So, what really restores one to a state of contentment? On Sunday afternoon we took the boys across the street to the park. It was a warm end-of-summer evening. I sat in the gravel and helped Greyden build a pile of rocks - contentment. I was able to take a walk with my sister, Jessica; the sun was setting (casting beautiful shades of pink on the clouds). We had uninterrupted time to reconnect and solve all of life’s pressing problems – contentment. Today Mike and I sat on the balcony, talking through our day’s highs and lows – contentment. The mornings that I am able to take a few quiet moments to read and journal – contentment. For me, contentment does not come from the new pair of jeans or the fresh new hair highlights. True contentment comes when I connect with the people I love, when I operate within my true beliefs and values, when I think beyond myself. Simple.