For a long time, I've had in my mind an image of what living a simple life looks like. I saw a small house in the country with chickens, a garden, clothes on a line blowing in the wind, making soap, canning a bounty, and on and on. But then, I spent some time trying to see myself in that picture by defining what simple living is to me, and it occurred to me that simple living is not a destination (or address), but rather a state of mind.
It also occurred to me that if I define simple living as a set of possessions (the right house, chickens, etc,) then I am putting my life on hold right now. For me, simple living needs to be here and now, because that is all I have, really. I can't have a smaller house right now and I really don't want chickens (right now), because I want to be able to go camping. And truth be told, I don't really see myself as a homesteader type. I am not wanting to be self sufficient off grid person either.
And so, I came to realize that living in a manner that is described as simple can and should be done right now with an attitude of contentment.
Simple living is in the moments. It's looking for pleasure in the everydayness of life. It's not about what I don't have. It's about having less and enjoying life more. It's about having fewer commitments. It's about not being materialistic. For me, it is not even being self sustaining, although for others it might be.
The biggest single thing that I could do to make my life more simple is to slow down, do less, and live smaller. Living smaller for me means to keep doing what I am doing, and look for other ways to live a healthy, happy, God honoring life that I desire to live.
What great words. I think everyone has to come to their own conclusion on what simple living is for them. I am definitely not a farmsteading, chicken raising, canning all my food type of person, at all. But what I do have, how I do live, is simple for us. You are right, we can't compare our simple living to others. We are all different. :)
ReplyDelete