Simplicity. Part One.

I started word of the year a couple of years ago as my way of bucking the "resolution" train. I didn't expect to start holding the tradition so very dear. I didn't expect to keep going with it and loving it as much as I do. And I certainly didn't expect living with a certain word in my mind all year to take on such life of its own. But I do and it has. I learn so much in the 12 months having a word to guide me. Surprising things. Simple things. And this year was no different. I chose simplicity for a very simple reason. After my year of abundance, I wanted slow. I wanted to uncover my core and find out, at 37, who I really was. And, just like the year previous, I got that and much more in addition.

I started the year devouring minimalist blogs and learning as much as I could about that lifestyle. So much about it appealed to me at the time. Still does, to an extent. However, reading helped me focus on what I really wanted. While I have no desire to whittle my possessions to the bare minimum, I did want to eliminate everything unnecessary. While I didn't want Isaac to quit his job, I wanted to engineer a life that included travel and time together and an emphasis on experiences instead of stuff. It was good to see what I truly valued.

By mid year, I started noticing a shift in my thinking. It's not possessions. It's how you think of your possessions. Don't let them hold you back. Don't let them suffocate you. Don't let them control any part of your thinking. Use them to enhance your life and it doesn't matter if you own 333 things or a million, if you love and need them. What you will have is a rich life with things to make it more rich. Which is how it should be.


(breathe, midge ure)