The Journey to Simple

Everyone is just so busy these days!
Photo by Ryan Ritche, via Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0

Everyone is so Busy

We all know life in the 21st century is complicated, right? Everyone you talk to, is always busy, so busy ... There's so much to catch up on. We are all multi-tasking ... so many things to do ... no time to stop, to think, to reflect ... 

But does it have to be that way? Could we choose to make our lives more simple and less crazy? Could we just STOP? Yes, I believe we can. I believe we can choose to be less busy, and to have less crazy lives. The only problem is ... 

It's not easy to go simple. The journey to simple means making some hard choices. It is choosing to do with less, even when more feels safer. It means giving things up, when we are used to having what we want. It is not easy, but I believe it is worth it. 

Our back yard, surrounded by beauty. My own photo. 

Our Story

My husband and I are on a journey to simple.  Eleven months ago, we moved out of the city to a place located in an actual forest. We were in search of a quieter, less expensive lifestyle. The house we bought was smaller, with more land. We wanted to get away from the traffic, pollution and noise. We dreamt of a different kind of life.

However, like many dreams, the reality was pretty far from what we had envisioned.In fact, we hadn't seemed to simplify our life all that much. 

Besides working long hours, now we also had to stack wood. And just to get some decent groceries, you had to drive at least an half hour. And our lovely rural hide-away? Well, let's just say that the place, although beautiful, was undeniably flawed (as in needing  quite a few repairs!)

My wood pile. My own photo

We started to wonder about this "simple life" dream. Was it just a silly fantasy? Were we better off back in our inner city lot? 

But then, after wringing our hands for a while, we both saw something special. What we had.  Sure, it was difficult now. But we had made a good choice. We had space. Privacy. A wood stove. A lake nearby. Bracing fresh air. An affordable home.

Getting to a simple life would not happen just by moving to the country. No, this was a start. But we still needed to pare down. Our stuff. Our diet. Our money. Our life. 

Please Join Me in the Journey 

Please join us in our journey to simple.  We're not there yet. Like any journey, we can't expect it to always be smooth, or completely straightforward. 

But we know our destination, and that is a huge advantage. This blog is about getting closer to simple ... in the midst of a crazy world.  

I hope it encourages you, the reader, to get closer to simple in your own life.  And you don't have to live in a forest to do it ... just find the advantages to where you live. What do you have right now? Focus on those advantages, and then take steps towards whatever a simpler life means to you. 

Now, what about you? What does the "simple life" mean to you? What steps are you taking towards having a simpler life now? What advantages do you already have? Tell us your story! 

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