The Simple Life

I didn't intend to have a complicated life. Honest. In fact, I thought that my life would be easier since I had been "downsized" from my job. Yet I found myself with an overcrowded calendar, a home bursting at the seams with "stuff," and an incredibly cranky family. Not to mention an incredibly cranky me! That old saying, "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" is so true. How did it all get so crazy?

Piano lessons, sports team practices and games, homework, church activities, music performances, parent-teacher organization meetings, my husband's overloaded schedule...on and on and on. Added to the chaos was the growing mountain of clutter in my home. Have you every noticed that when you are never at home, you never have time to clean? More stuff= more to clean, organize, put away, and maintain. At the end of the day I was exhausted, but didn't really feel productive. As my stress and anxiety levels began to rise, so did my blood pressure. My heart began to beat out the mantra, "slow down, slow down, slow down." But how?

I knew that I needed to simplify my life in order to preserve my sanity and my health. Moving to a cabin in the woods, cut off from civilization was tempting, but not practical. So I did what I always do when I need wisdom. I spent some time alone with God, praying and reading His Word. Quiet time has always been rejuvenating for me. Even soft music in the background is often too much noise when I am feeling overwhelmed. This is a mystery to my family who seem to enjoy having every electronic noise-producing device in the house operating all at the same time. But I digress... It was during this time of solitude that God directed me to Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God." After meditating on this scripture for a few days, I committed to myself, and to my Father God that I would simplify my life and "be still." Stop worrying. Stop striving to please others. Refuse to equate busyness with productivity. Engage in mindful living, and give priority to those things that feed my soul. Instead of surviving, I would seek to enjoy each day that I am given.

I researched practical ways to improve time management. I read a book full of helpful hints on how to purge the clutter from my home. With the help of my sweet husband, we cleaned out the attic, the garage, every cupboard and every closet in the house. I reviewed the list of last year's activities with my kids and helped them make some tough choices about what they would pursue during this school year.

Is my life more simple now? In many ways, yes...but it's an ongoing process. Our culture invites us to live chaotic, complicated lives. I am easily distracted and need constant redirection to focus on my objectives. This blog developed out of my need to remind myself to slow down and really enjoy life. But I am slowly beginning to reap the benefits of simplifying. My blood pressure has gone down, I have less "stuff" to care for, and I am finding it easier to stay in the moment and appreciate life as it happens.

"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all." Laura Ingalls Wilder