Simple is as Simple Does.

Does the idea of leaving it all and moving to a small village in Europe, a lakeside cabin, or a Caribbean island appeal to you? That’s my fantasy. I dream of a simple life in a simple part of the world. Waking to the sounds of nature, a whole undiscovered day ahead of me with plenty of time to read, think, cook, walk, and breathe. No traffic jams, one day sales, or deadlines. Not in my fantasy life.

My day would end as it begun, gently reversing the process. I’d have a simple, healthy dinner, a glass of wine or two, read and slip under crisp sheets while a gentle breeze blows through the curtains as I drift off to sleep.

 

That’s what vacations are for. They remind us how to slow down, unplug and relax.  I just got back from one  at the shore. I’m lucky to have a place  I can escape to once in a while, but why can’t we have that lifestyle all year round? I want that relaxing vacation feel in my everyday life. Is that possible?


As I write this at 2 AM, my mind already a buzz with my long list of things that need to be done today, I yearn for this simplicity. The dog having to go out in the middle of the night, should not set off a chain reaction in my mind of all the things that need my attention. Why can’t I go back to sleep? Too much to do and the thoughts start firing through my brain.

This wouldn’t happen in my fantasy life. There would be no pressing issues to deal with or long to do list. My most pressing problem would be what book to read next or what to make for dinner. There would actually be a dinner, freshly prepared, and not eaten out just because it was easier, quicker, and less stressful. There would no need to have the latest fashions or fancy things. No reason to keep up with the neighbors or have the most current model of anything. FOMO or fear of missing out would not occur in my fantasy.

Every decade of my life, I think this is the time things in my life will get simpler because, fill in the blank here…the kids can feed themselves… the kids are all in school… the kids can drive themselves… the kids are going to college… I’m an empty nester, etc., etc. Yet time marches on and my fantasy remains the same. I want a less stressful, simpler life with more time to do what moves my heart. When one thing changes and frees up some time in my life, there are plenty of other things to fill that space. So I never do get that extra time. Our lives are like a closet, you can always fit more things in there. Stuff them in and fill up space. And that’s what happens, consciously or unconsciously.

So I am going to implement a few steps to make my life simpler. Step by step, I am going to chip away at the layer of stuff taking up space in my home, laptop, mailbox and mind. I’m going to get that breathing room, that simpler life. But it will take some time.

First step:   I am unsubscribing from the myriad of daily web site emails that I get because I am afraid to miss out on something. 

 These emails pile up because I haven’t had time to read them. They really do stress me out.  I don’t need the shoe of the day, groupon deal of the day, travel deal of the day.

 I’ll keep the wine of the day emails. I will need that in my fantasy life.

More steps to come.....

Thought for the day:

 Much may be done in those little shreds and patches of time which every day produces, and which most men throw away. ~ Charles Caleb Colton