Remember to say thank you...

I've been spending a lot of time out on the road lately, driving all over this part of the state visiting school sites and collecting data for my research. Sometime last week I was speeding down the freeway, feeling a little stressed because I was running about 5 minutes late, and this red truck in front of me was going so slow I had no choice but to read the decal on the back of his truck. What I saw made me smile, calmed me down, and reminded me how important it is to have perspective...

The decal said "Remember to say thank you" and was accompanied by two silholutte (how do you spell that word, anyway?) figures - a man and a horse - bowing their heads. In the background was the outline of a large hill with a cross on the top of it. Even though I don't consider myself an incredibly religious person, I felt that the message on the back of this truck was one that I needed to see, to internalize, and to remember.

So often we go through our days, forgetting just how incredibly blessed we are in our lives in so many ways. To me, striving for a life of greater simplicity is as much about giving thanks as it is about anything else. I think it was Gandhi who said that we should live simply so that others can simply live. I know that if I live a simpler life, through both clearing away the external clutter and enriching my inner sense of peace, I am - in my own way - saying thank you. 

I am saying thank you to my parents who taught me, through example, that people and relationships are more important than things... I am saying thank you and acknowledging that I have everything I really need, and that there are those in the world who don't, and that the more responsibly I live and the more generously I live, the more hope I am creating for people whom might be in greatest need of that hope.

Peace is possible, change is possible, and today - as much as ever - I know it's important for me to remember that and to say thank  you to all who have taught me those things through both their words and their actions. 

Independence, Interdependence, and Community

"We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be."

                                        - Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

"There are people whom one loves immediately and forever. Even to know they are alive in the world with one is quite enough."

                                       - Nancy Spain

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

                                       - Margaret Mead

                                  

Wasted Time?

Although I read others' blogs almost every day, I realize that I haven't posted anything on my own blog in almost a month. I could try to concoct some sort of metaphor to explain the significance that absence has to what has been going on in my own life, or I could be a little more honest and straightforward. I think I'll try the later.

I want to be a better listener. I want to be more comfortable in silence, in uncertainty, in being still. I'm not very good at being still, either physically or mentally, and I'm pretty bad at yoga - although I am getting better the more I practice. I've been caught up in the achievement-minded mania for so long that sometimes I need to be reminded to just slow down, breathe, and be. 

So I am working on not working so hard, on not focusing so much on perfection. I'm focusing on seeing beauty in imperfection and on learning from those who walk simple paths, who practice profound truths, and who give much more than they take. I'm also trying to be more forgiving with myself.

So, I haven't posted in almost a month because I was waiting for something to inspire me to write the perfect post. I've gotten over that idea. Maybe there is no such thing as wasted time.

Contemplation... Also Known As Inaction or Fear

So I was sitting here staring at my computer screen, contemplating my life, thinking about all the things I think I should be doing right now, and perusing blogs of people who are actually out there, in the world... acting on their beliefs, changing their ways, speaking out about things that matter. And here I am, somewhat paralyzed in a state of inaction, or fear, or whatever you want to call it. I think I need to wake up just a little bit. It's nice for me to have ideas and to write about them somewhat fluently in ways that I think won't offend many people, to make "safe" changes like those listed in my last post, and to otherwise go about my days thinking I am making a difference, making a change, when really I am doing little more than stewing about in my own fear. That, I've realized, is something that I need to address immediately. Stay posted. More to follow soon...

Things to Do...

I've always been a fan of "things to do" lists, and although I am trying to break myself of the habit of creating these long lists and then feeling disappointed when I don't get everything done on any given day... I'm not quite ready to let go of the lists just yet. So here's a list of things I am going to do to simplify my life, hopefully within the next year.

1. Finish school 

2. Donate or sell about 50% of my belongings

3. Begin to work the steps of the Your Money or Your Life plan to financial independence

4. Find a way to make money that allows me the time and freedom to pursue my passions and interests

5. Learn how to create and maintain a vegetable garden

6. Learn how to compost

7. Live according to the Compact and not purchase anything new, or at least cut my purchases of new things by 75%

8. Help develop the non-profit organization I am a part of 

More to follow... this is, obviously, only a start. Suggestions?

Hope

Sometimes hope originates from a place of perceived hopelessness and sometimes the most extraordinary outcomes result from the most ordinary of actions. I have to admit that on this personal journey I am traveling towards a life of greater simplicity, there have been many moments when I have been a little less than proud to be an American. I am not proud of our country's greed and consumerism and oppression, but that conversation belongs in a different post on a different day.

Today, I want to focus on the positive. I have to say that I am overwhelmed with a sense of pride, hope, and empowerment that I have not felt in a very long time... if ever. I have always wanted so much to be part of a generation that stands up for things that are positive, humane, and hopeful and I have always believed that change is possible. I have also always believed that my generation - the youth of this country - has not been apathetic so much as it has been waiting for a chance to really be heard. And last night I saw a glimpse of what this kind of voice might mean in my lifetime. To me, that deserves a moment of pause and of reflection.

Some Inspiration from a Greeting Card

1. the path is not straight.

2. mistakes need not be fatal.

3. people are more important than achievements or possessions.

4. be gentle with your parents.

5. never stop doing what you care most about.

6. learn to use a semicolon.

7. you will find love.

                      - marion winik

Today I am meditating on number three. Of course this is something I believe, but I think it is also important to make sure my actions are aligning themselves with my beliefs. This can be challenging sometimes. A little reminder like the card I found on my desk this morning is nice.