I have this ever pulling sense that I must get back to simpler living. What does simple living entail?
I am here in Ecuador at a permaculture farm owned by Senor Piet Sabbe, a long time steward of his slice of heavenly nature. Twenty-five years ago Piet saw this piece of land scorched and burned by the locals for the sake of cleaning up the ugly 'el monte' (chaotic jungle in Spanish). He bought the land and has been planting non-stop since. Now he stewards 15 hectares of restored and thriving 'el monte' that is contributing to the health of the planet and his family.
I've only been here for a week but I am inspired by the commitment to simple living with nature. Stewarding nature so that we can be nurtured by nutritious food is core to how we survive - even thrive - as humans.
The hustle and bustle of the city just does not compare, and hopefully more people will come to realize that as we deplete our world's natural resources for the sake of 'development'.
The hustle that says "Buy this, buy that, you need more of this!". Do we really?
Our society has become so accustomed to excess. As someone who grew up in America and is guilty of it herself, I feel that we are indulging in excess to the detriment of our planet, future generations, and our souls.
As the name of my website hints, I am seeking a simple life like that of the hobbits in the Shire from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. They live simply by growing good food, making their own furniture and clothes from resources around them, helping each other, and enjoying the simple pleasures of a life well-lived with nature and kin.
I've gathered some ideas of how we can find silence and simplicity that ultimately leads to more space for our hearts and minds to pursue what matter mosts:
1) Practice gratitude every single day.
This hits home the issue of coveting, jealousy, envy, and greed. Gratitude and contentment are the cure for the cravings that often burden us.
I have had this issue with social media and seeing the highlight reels of everyone else. I'm sure a few people felt the same looking at my highlight reel too. I decided for the sake of freeing up much time and altogether cutting off that particular vulnerability to compare my life to others, to simply get off social media. I can testify that it is a healthy thing. The people who matter most in your life will still stay in touch with you and you with them.
Gratitude can be expressed about the tiniest detail of your life. You have a bed to sleep in at night. You wake up to birds singing and trees swaying in the breeze. You have the ability to work a job or climb mountains. Your morning cup of tea. A warm embrace from a friend or family member. Your puppy taking a nap in the afternoon sun.
It takes some strength, and strength I draw from God, to not compare my life to others if I feel "left behind". I have felt that very much as I approach an age where most of my friends are engaged or married and have beautiful families and homes.
I am actively practicing gratitude and faith that God has provided everything I need, nothing more and nothing less. I hope you will rest assured in the same.
2) Only consume what you really need.
Consuming more than what we really need leads to waste and financial strain, to name a few. Do we really need 20 pairs of jeans? Do we really need the latest model of the iPhone? The answer is emphatically no.
When we pare down to only what we really need (how much of the clothes in your closet do you actually wear?), we have more literal space in our lives to breathe. And we often have to do less cleaning - which I'm all for!
Keeping up with the Joneses is such a sad state of affairs. People go into financial debt to maintain a sense of right standing in an 'advancing', shiny society.
I would argue that all we truly need, as cliche as it may be, is love, community, and health.
What if the extremely wealthy lived far below their means so that they could practice the soul-enriching practice of giving to others? What if even the not-so-wealthy-at-all shared what they had, trusting that God would provide for them and honor their generosity to those less fortunate?
I'm still on the journey and am leaving this list at two points for now. I have a long ways to go and growth is not often easy, but I'm here for it.
Are you with me? :)
With love,
Kari
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