the "simple" life

In general I hear this phrase, I read it on blogs and in magazine articles and hear it mentioned over wine and cheese at dinner parties.  When I reflect on this phrase though it conjures up a bunch of unrealistic imagery of life and what we think it could look like.

For example, we think- wouldn't it be nice to "return" to a simpler way of life where we made our own bread, grew our own food, knew the farmers we got our produce from and knew how the animals were treated when we purchased our meat.  We think wouldn't it be nice to make our own curtains, clothes and homemade pie crusts.  Wouldn't it be nice to live in a smaller house, get rid of clutter and focus on the big things and not get bogged down with life.

But the fact is, it is nearly impossible to do this when you live in a modern society.

Reality hits us and we realize: we have to work all day and don't have time to sew our own curtains nor does it save any money or make anything "simple" when you have to make them yourself.  Going to the farmers market is a treat and a fun outing but it is simply more expensive and cannot always accomplish all of your shopping goals, therefore adding one more thing to your list of "to dos."

I recently read a short article by Dylan Tomine titled "The Simple Life" in the most recent Patagonia Catalogue (of all places).  I absolutely loved this article because he talks about how he and his wife were going to move to Central America and home school their kids, using the outdoors as a backdrop.  What happened instead though was that he and his wife ended up buying a blueberry farm in Washington.  At first everything seemed idyllic and beautiful, the blueberries were in full season, the weather was beautiful and people were there picking fruit daily.  Their kids handed out baskets and showed people how to pick the warm sun-kissed berries.  Then (to quote Tomine) "the season ended and the real work started.....the learning curve seems to steep most of the time and our day to day has turned into a crazed juggling act...turns out the simple life is pretty damn complicated."

Finally, someone said it!  At the end of the day, farm life, simpler times and a way of life that should be stripped down when all is said and done is complicated!  But he does bring a tear to my eye when he mentions why he and his wife chose to do what they are doing: "we'll have frost by morning...winter is coming... from the upper field I can hear Skyla and Weston laughing as they ride the empty wagon down the compost pile for another load.  I shiver and pull my collar up, knowing: this is our big adventure.  Right here at home."

And these words echo warmly in my heart when I think of my last post.  We try to do our best each and every day.  Sometimes we succeed.  Sometimes we fail.  Sometimes we just try to make the most of a moment because life is busy, complicated and hard.  We try to take that moment of laughter, that moment of echoed joy in a field, the moment a warm blueberry hits your lips and drizzles down your lips, the moment we realize we cannot prepare for life but we must live it; simple or not- this is life and we must embrace all that we can so that we don't miss anything!  There is no simple life as far as I'm concerned but the message is simple to me: love God, love others and capture every moment that allows us to truly do just that.

[Dylan Tomine's new book: Closer to the Ground 

about learning to share his love of naure with his children- available through patagonia.com/books]

Easter

Each year I learn more about my faith, more about the Christian life and Church calendar, and I learn more about what the death and resurrection of Christ truly mean to me.  This is the second year that have read through the Mosaic Holy Bible's readings on Lent.  They are very meaningful and present both an ascetic (visual- artwork), historical (writings, meditations, prayers) and contemporary presentation of this key time in the Christian Calendar.

As I grow in my faith, I learn more about the freedom that we have when we allow Christ to be the head of our lives and direct our paths.  This isn't easy and takes a lot of practice to determine and to recognize but when we allow God to direct us we are allowed a lot of freedom from our own limitations.

This year there were a few readings that really spoke to me and reminded me of what the Christian life presents and what God offers us.

One reading was in response to Lent:

"Our temptation in Lent is to be so impressed by our sins and failings and so overwhelmed by our lack of generosity that we get stuck in a paralyzing guild, a guild that leads to introspection instead of directing our eyes to God.  It is guild that becomes an idol and form of pride.  But Lent is precisely the time to break down this idol and to direct our attention to our loving Lord...."  Henri J.M. Nouwen


The second is in response to Easter and to the resurrection of Christ and the importance of this act to the belief of Christians.  Without the resurrection, God is a loving deity and Christ a hopeful martyr.  The resurrection of God as Christ is key to our belief as Christians and the understanding that God truly died for our sins and was raised from the dead.  Likewise, we can die to our sins when we accept God's love and agree to follow him as our Lord and we are raised from this past with a new and glorious future.

"The God who is in, through, and beyond creation does not love us from afar.  He springs forthe with light from darkness, order from chaos, with cries from a Virgin's womb and joy from the grave.  And hope springs forth likewise in a universal invitation, a passionate wooing, that every single person might discover a place as a beloved in his story, his family, and in his eternally adoring heart."  Alex Davis (from the writing "Awaken")


As each year passes I hope and pray to know God more through his son and I desire that my steps would be directed and led by my faith in Him.  I pray that he would watch over my husband and daughter and help us to be a family that relies on him every day and worships him in all we do.

He is risen, He is risen indeed.

trying something new

It is a new year so I have tried to have a positive and outgoing outlook on life for not just the new year but hopefully a bit of a new me.  I started with some simple things like a new blog post and a fresh look at my closet (cleaning things out even though I might be emotionally attached to them).  Some things worked: got rid of several bags of stuff I didn't wear, need or use and some things didn't: didn't like the new blog template at all!  And some things have yet to happen: going through my books & CD's.  This is a daunting yet super necessary task.  And other things are still up in the air waiting to be decided: where to go, what to do with life, work, kids, etc....you know the little details of life.

You may notice that this is a theme with me this year and that you may notice a certain uncertainty in my writing and my commitment to the future.  It seems that a variety of circumstances have brought me to this point and now I just have to combine my courage and my faith, my wit and good sense and a whole lot of other un-namable stuff together to make a concrete decision.

In life, it seems like trying something new can often have as many successes as failures and maybe that is why after so many new starts or attempts at new things, sometimes we often lose the will to try these new things however great or small.  For instance, I sometimes buy clothes that seem to be not really "me" but then I think, why aren't they me?  I can choose something new!  And sometimes it works....and other times the shirt or pair of pants or new dress gets worn once and then sits in its place awaiting another shot....but it is just not me.....so it waits and waits and finally makes a trip to be either returned or to the consignment shop.  So the next time I am tempted I may remember my failure to turn over a new leaf (or embrace a new fashion) or I may be willing to fail at this new attempt of style.  Whatever the reaction, it can definately make an impression or begin a pattern for the future.  Perhaps that is why as you get older (and believe you me I am not making that argument yet) it is harder to try new things.  We've fallen, failed or just plain been embarassed by these leaps of faith.

As part of my new year, I am trying to get over myself, and that isn't easy to do.  I am trying to let go of the failures of the past and especially the failures that I am picturing may happen in the future and combine the excitement of what can be with the faith that it can be good.

So, if you think of me, think (and pray please, if you do) that God would give me the strength to have faith and to push forward and be willing to try something new, even if I fail.  To balance practicality with love and adventure and a willingness to try new things whether super small (like a new recipe) or super big: a move and a new place to live.

Aven, trying something new (pizza counts)

These are my thoughts; my thoughts on a page- a place to mentally ramble, blow off steam or generally brag about my amazingly blessed life.  Thanks for listening.