Simple living myths

September 1, 2009

I feel almost like a fraud writing about the simple life. These last two months have been very hectic due to circumstances we had not planned and I've been living life at the edge of chaos. Granted my edge is probably different from most and even at the point of teetering our days are filled with the basic routines of cooking, eating, home care and learning.

It's when we attempt, by choice or circumstance, to heap too much onto these basics that life runs in the crazy lane, even at home. But this is not the vision I have for life at home; what I desire is a place of peace and comforting rhythms. (keeping this real: I just booted my kids outdoors in a less-than-lovely mommy voice)

I'm happy to say we're working our way back to peaceful routines and barring any major life disruptions September looks to be a good month, but I usually start all months with this sense of optimism! To get life back on the simple road I'm using my two favorite strategies: lowering my expectations and implementing a realistic weekly schedule. But just because I do these things doesn't mean life becomes easy.

That is one of the myths of simple living. And as I see it there's a few more, so I'd like to take a few moments to de-bunk the Simplicity Myths.

1. Simple is different for each individual and family.

My own flavor of simple includes making a home, educating my children (on our schedule not someone else's), cooking healthy whole foods, hanging laundry, composting, making soap and otherwise doing my best to wisely use available resources. I tend a small garden of mostly flowers but have chosen to pay a local farmer to grow a lot of our summer vegetables so I don't have to. "Growing my own" is not part of my simple definition during this life season. What's your definition of simple living? Don't chase after another person's version of the good life, live your own.

2. Simple isn't easy.

As Damien explained to a friend once, simple living isn't less work, it's just concentrated work spent on fewer things (or something like that). When it comes right down to it simple living, whatever your definition happens to be, is good ol' fashioned hard work. For example making your food from scratch is work to be sure but it is fairly straight forward and un-complicated: cook, eat, clean and do it all again in a few hours.

3. Simple means hard choices.

Everyone only has so much time. If you're trying to simplify your life you have to say no to good things. We choose to spend a lot of time outdoors as a family, sounds simple enough but this means we can't do other things - like regular Saturday morning thrifting or summer backyard bbqs. This is our choice and I'm not suggesting it for others but we are clear in our values and goals which helps greatly with decision making.

4. Simple is the means not the end.

We don't try to simplify our lives just to sit around and say "my, my don't we have simple lives". We pare down our lives so we are freed up financially, emotionally, physically, spiritually to focus on the life values most important to us. So we can be ready with very little notice to host someone overnight or to be packed up and out the door for an adventure with as minimal fuss as possible.

5. Simple takes time, both daily and long term.

We are still so far from where we want to be in the long term with our desire for simple living. Children tend to complicate matters with all their... stuff. Creating the home life, community and world we want to live in takes time. It takes our lives in fact. So make sure you're putting your time into what you really value because this, right now, is the life you are making.

In the end I don't think simple is really very simple at all. What do you think?

{There's been a lot of posts about this very topic in the blogosphere lately, at least in my blog world. I didn't steal these ideas - honest. I've been writing this post for months and finally got it published. I'm hoping to scour my google reader favorites a bit more and maybe put together a compiled "simple living isn't so simple" linky love post someday.}

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