Simple living,
slow down and live fully

Have you heard of simple living?

It's an answer to our modern, stressful lives. There's many ways to live simply. It can involve:

• Getting rid of unnecessary stuff and clutter
• Downsizing to a smaller home, less to clean, heat and cool!
• Getting out of debt
• Being frugal, repurposing things
• Being green, choosing natural methods over chemical ones
• Choosing slow food, whole fresh foods that take time to cook
• Choosing handcrafted items that have value to you, instead of more Walmart stuff
• reducing media and noise,
• Choosing uplifting movies and music
• Allowing time for naps, peace, rest
• Finding time for soul care, doing what lights you up
• Choosing things that make you breathe easier. Your body knows what that is!

Simple living for all of life

I found a book at the thrift store called Simple Living guide, by Janet Luhrs. The table of contents lists the chapters: Time, Money, Inner Simplicity, Work, Simple Pleasures and Romance, Virtue, Families, Holidays,Cooking and Nutrition, Health and Exercise, Clutter, Gardening, and Travel.

Simple living asks, How do you feel about these life areas? What makes you happy in each one?

For example, During the holidays, I don't have an Christmas tree. It's too much. I like candles and lights, so that's what I have. I also make my Christmas gifts; no malls for me! Christmas is a joy now. I choose how I celebrate it.

It's all about your choices. Do you complicate things? Do you rely on experts and media for your decisions? Simple living asks you to rely on your deeper values, your insights, your joy, your inner yes, to consciously choose your life!

To hear your inner yes, you must slow down. When you slow down and get quiet, answers and intuition will come forward.

It may take time. We so want an instant life! But really, life has its own rhythms. We can flow with what is and learn to live with the questions for awhile. That's simple living. Less demands on life, more openness to what is before us.

And having less material stuff to care for helps you find your inner life rhythm.

Soon you will find that what is before you is beautiful. Beauty is in simplicity. Trees swaying in the wind. Puffy summer clouds. Warm soup. Laughing children. Classical music on the radio. Even a simple deep breath.

The History

Many spiritual leaders and thinkers have recommended simple living. Jesus, St. Francis, as well as the Buddha, who advised us to live the middle way. Henry David Thoreau says to go back to nature. The Quakers, Shakers and Amish live simply. And of the spiritual texts, the Tao and Rumi poems are simple yet deep.

The book Voluntary Simplicity, by Duane Elgin, brought the simple living to our current times. Today we have the slow food movement and the slow life movement. There's been a thread of simple living philosophy throughout history.

"Stop and listen to the heart, the wind outside, to one another, to the changing patterns of this mysterious life. It comes moment after moment, out of nothing, and disappears into nothing. Live with less grasping and more appreciation and caring" ---Jack Kornfield

Create Time to reflect

Spend time reflecting and looking at the big picture of your life. What do you really want? What is your mission, your sacred labor? How can you start to live it now?

Or, if the big picture, seems tooo big, take baby steps. What do you see and feel right now in this moment that you love? How can you move toward that? If you love to dance, make the space in your living room!

I've read that happy people are inner referenced. They look within for strength and answers and faith, rather than grasping outside for answers or fulfillment. With simple living, you develop an inner life and use that to fulfill you, rather than more stuff!

Unstuff yourself

Material stuff can be a substitute for your true values. And you need to work many hours to buy and maintain all the stuff you have. Is it worth it?

If you live your true values, or as they say, live authentically, you desire less stuff. For instance, I love color. When I paint, I need less material stuff and TV stimulation. If I ignore my need for beauty, I go out to shop, or watch too much TV!

Our culture encourages us to ignore our deep needs and just buy stuff. Buying supports the economy, So we are encouraged to buy. If we all lived simply, the current economy would collapse! And what would replace it?

The possibilities are art and handmade beauty, real food, contact with nature, happy children and families. All the things from our spirit would have room to grow.

Maybe that's why the current economy is collapsing, so your spirit has space to grow. Clear the decks, get rid of old outworn ideas. Our culture is space clearing. We can help the process be less painful by detaching from the old and creating new soulful ways and simple living in our lives. We can create a new soulful economy and life.

Abundant Food for Thought:

It is not enough if you are busy. The question is, what are you busy about? --Henry David Thoreau

In order to seek one's direction, one must simplify the mechanics of ordinary, everyday life--Plato

Make a decision to listen more carefully to your inner insights, no matter how small or insignificant you may have previously judged them to be" --Wayne Dyer

My wish is to have a strong sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity"---Jamie Oliver, chef

Go from simple living to healthy foods lifestyle.com

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