There has always being misconceptions of what real simplicity is. The term itself means ” artlessness of mind; freedom from duplicity; sincerity”; another definition “plainness; freedom from artificial ornament”.
To me simplicity is freedom.
I am free from the material trappings that take me away from my inner peace. That calmness that can only be acquired when there is nothing blocking its flow. The ownership of things come into play and it is pretty much what people tend to think off when you say you are living simply. They automatically assume you are living in a hut somewhere without any amenities to speak off. Or you live in a cabin in the woods far away from civilization. Yes, this is a good example of simple living but it is not always true.
In my case, I don’t live in a farm. I don’t own any animals, except the house pet variety. I live in a small town in the mountains surrounded by concrete parking lots and main street up the road. I have town water and electricity attached to my house and I drive a car. But I still live simply…how? Because the choices we have made as a family describe us as simple.
Choices, that is the key word that many seem to ignore. I choose to live with less. I choose to be cut off from the media by not having television…so commercials and the like are not infiltrating my home and my senses. I choose to not have cell-phones or blackberries or whatever the newest device is at the moment because I don’t want to be connected all the time when I am out of my house and our budget restricts this…I do have a computer. I enjoy sharing myself with others out there of similar believes and lifestyles, but the choice to be connected is still controlled. I choose to do everything by hand…I am in the moment when I am cooking, baking, sewing, growing our food in our .17 acre of land. The satisfaction I receive is so much more than purchasing an item from a store, or buying produce from the supermarket.
What have we done as a family to live more simply? We sold our big house and moved to a smaller one. This cottage were we are now is perfect for us as a family. No longer does my family disappear to another room to be…instead, we are all with each other pretty much all the time. We have learned to live together by respecting each other spaces even though there is no extra space where we can go and hide. We have become a family here in this little house. Everything we do or don’t do affects the family unit. And this is yet again, a choice that we made knowing that it will take us quite a bit of time to adjust and adapt.
In terms of our finances…boy, this was the hardest to change. Yes, outwardly we were moving unto a more simplistic life, but our money situation took us the longest. No more going to a store and picking up things. No longer purchasing something because it was there and we wanted it. Our budget is such, that we discuss purchases as a family. There is no discretionary budget where we can buy what we want…there is only one amount that has to last until the end of the month and that is that. This has been an excellent tool to teach our boys about discipline and controlling our impulses. This society that we live in, feeds on our wants and makes us believe that without what we want we can not survive. We have learned that this is false. Our new motto is “less is more. Be content with what you have now.” It has been proven that instead of saying “I want”…it has been changed to “do I really need this?”
Living without is not easy and it is not for everyone. I worked in the fashion industry for over 10 years of my life. I lived for the trends and the whims of designers. The city and all its excitement was my life at the time. So yes, I do know how hard it is to walk away from it all and let go of everything that used to have meaning. But then, I could not teach my children to be good stewards of the blessings around us if I continued on the down-ward spiral that was our life. I, as a woman and as a mother, wanted more for them and for me also. I yearned for a life without the whims of others. Without the dependency on foreign commodities be it energy or food.
I taught myself to cook from scratch. I taught myself to sew my own clothes and my family’s. I taught myself to garden. I taught myself to live with less. I made the choice to forgo the trends and live with a life filled with simple needs.
What keeps us motivated? Faith. I have a simple faith. It is not based on somebody else’s ideals or traditions. It is a personal believe that is ingrained in my inner being. It brings us joy to be grounded in the knowledge of God. It keeps us from overdoing it and trying to be something we are not. We don’t have anything to prove to anyone. We don’t have to try to change anyone. Our believes are simple and constant and this is the glue that binds are family together.
Living simply is more than just living without … but instead is about gaining so much more.
Until next time…be blessed!
