So Proud

So proud of this guy, not only because of this (see #4 ranking) but more importantly because of the person he is. He inspires me everyday to live a life of conviction and meaning and he reminds me constantly - through the choices he makes - that sometimes all you need to make life more beautiful is to see the world through new eyes.  

Inspiration...

Curious? Check this out.

http://web.mac.com/thelastpintaturtle/Voluntary_Simplicity/Home.html

Perfect Day...

... coffee and conversation with my sister-in-law in the a.m. and gardening all afternoon with my brother. More later, but I just wanted to get this post started so I don't forget to write it. 

I'm coming back to finish this post a few weeks after I had intended, but here it goes. 

Sometimes, simplicity comes when we are reminded that life is more about who you are with than anything else. If we can keep spending time with the people we love central to our lives, then maybe everything else will fall into place without much effort. And sometimes, the most beautiful moments are those unplanned hours spent in good company engaged in good work. 

Clearing Away the Clutter

Although simplifying my physical space is only one facet of my journey toward a simpler life, I am constantly amazed at just how difficult this task is for me. No matter how much I clear out, donate, recycle, organize... it still seems like there is so much clutter still left over. I am inspired by those who have successfully lived according to the rules of "the compact,"  those who are living in small spaces, those who are reducing their possessions to only a set number of things. Period.

When I was little my family lived on a 27-foot sailboat. We also lived on a boat-access only island where everything we wanted to get to and from the island had to be transported in our very small, not-so-reliable boat. This next week I am going to ask my parents questions about this time in our lives - much of which I was too young to remember with much clarity - and then see what lessons I learn that I can apply to my life today. There is something beautiful about not being hindered, bogged-down, controlled by our stuff. There is also something difficult about shifting our minds away from the consumer mentality that drives so much of people's day-to-day interactions.

All I really want is to be free and to be able to focus my energy on the people, ideas, and actions that truly mean something to me. Everything else is going to have to fade away, be given away, or be just let go of. 

Getting Married...

No, not me... my little brother. I am so excited for him and the wonderful woman he is marrying as they start this new adventure in their lives together. I have no doubt that they'll enjoy the journey. 

The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step - or - Reflecting on the journey

I realized even though I read other people's blogs everyday, I haven't posted on my own in almost two months. Hmmm... again, I've sat here waiting for the perfect post to come and then write nothing. As a writer, I should know this process doesn't work that way. Sometimes I just have to put the words down with them and then perfect them later. So here we go...

Sometimes I don't think much about simplicity until I wake up one morning, my mind racing with all the things I "have" to do and all the deadlines I "have to meet." It's almost like I wait until I'm forced to take a deep breath before I take the time to look around and ask those all-important questions about my life, questions like:

What am I doing?

Where am I going?

Why am I doing what I'm doing and going where I'm going?

I think that voluntary simplicity is as much about consciousness and intention as anything else. In that way, choosing to live more simply is very much like the writing process. You start off with an idea, a vision, a goal. Then you give it a shot, as messy as that first attempt might look. And then to pare it down, and pare it down some more. Sometimes you have to stop and breathe, scream, jump around the room. Or do whatever it takes to refocus yourself. And then you keep at it. Even if you end up with a final product in mind, if you don't take pleasure in the journey then the end product can never be as beautiful.

I've realized that there are a lot of things I like about my own simplicity journal. I like the satisfaction of cleared spaces -- in my home, in my life, in my mind. I like planning the next steps. I like the feeling of free moments. I like knowing that I'm trying, albeit imperfectly, to reduce my footprint on the earth. And I like stopping once in a while to reflect on how far I've come and how good it feels to enjoy the journey. 

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.