Staying Simple
photo via Katie@!
While we are fresh from Labor Day weekend, there’s a feeling of summer I want to crystallize before it evaporates: Think back to your summer vacation. Maybe it wasn’t an escape to an island; maybe it was only an afternoon when you had your feet up and a glass of lemonade. Maybe it was a weekend spent floating down a lazy river in an inner tube. Whatever your version of a summer getaway, I’ll bet they all had something in common: the feeling of a free, expansive simplicity.
I had it for a moment, too. For a few days, I went to the country and slept in a cabin with an old clawfoot tub and a vaulted wood ceiling. There was no internet, no television. Just books, cheese and crackers, and walks.
The afterglow of vacation carried on for a few days after I came back home: I felt relaxed and unfettered, and as if my life need only contain the basics: a comfortable chair, a bright reading light, a couple of pots, a warm blanket. I started to unload books I didn’t need anymore and clothes that didn’t fit.
And then poof! The magic was gone! The magazines piled up and internet bookmarks accumulated of things I wanted to cook, books I wanted to read, places I wanted to go. And instead of imparting a feeling of abundance, all this stuff made my mind and my life feel cluttered. Does any of this sound familiar?
A couple of my friends rented a cabin in the woods one summer several years ago. The house was unbearably sweet and delightfully unencumbered: there was a dining room table, a rack above the stove for pots and pans, and in the bedrooms, a white coverlet, a chair, a stack of books and a bedside light. It was simple, and perfect. Our friends came back to their city life at the end of that summer feeling that objects create noise. That happily bare house had a quietude about it, one they wanted to recreate in their urban apartment, even if they did have noisy neighbors and construction across the street.
We’ve talked in the forum about how to make summer last, but how can we also hang on to that sense of simplicity summer has? Is it a matter of meditating everyday? Or keeping a minimalist household? How do you keep things simple in day to day life? How can you hold on to that elusive feeling of expansive calm?
Amy C: I think once a week I check the house to see what has a thick layer of dust on it. I then seriously question whether I need these objects in my life, as their sole purpose seems to be to collect dust. The unclutteredness (is that a word?) of my house brings me great peace. But that being said, I think you mentioned meditation – which is really the practice of being happy wherever you are, whether it’s in the midst of a quiet forest of the jungle of Manhattan. Joy and peace can come anywhere, so long as we’re willing to shut off the TV and wait for it.2 years ago
Rebecca: This post hits the nail on the head for how I’ve been feeling the past couple of weeks – thank you for putting your finger on the cause when I couldn’t manage to!
Your description of your friends’ cabin and suggestion of a minimalist household strikes a chord with me – I feel as if that would bring peace and relaxation. It would definitely be a great start!
@Amy C: Great idea for checking for dust! I can think of several things in my apartment that haven’t moved for a year that should be gotten rid of somehow.2 years ago
Amy C, I love that practice of clearing out the unused objects. When I get that urge, everything that’s going gets puts in a bag…and then never seems to make it out the front door. Today’s the day!
Rebecca, The minimalist house is a challenge for me, but it does seem like it would be a good backdrop for a streamlined life.2 years ago
Brooke: I find myself torn between a nostalgic affection for many of the things I have lying around the house and a desire to do a big purge and simplify everything. So I compromise by selecting certain rooms or areas that need to be streamlined and simple and clutter-free — my bedroom and my desk. As long as those spaces are organized, I can somehow justify having bookshelves with too many books and too many framed photographs and a closet with too many pairs of shoes.2 years ago
Lisa (dinner party): Spending time with friends really does help me in this regard. Even a quick coffee or drink with a friend helps me clear my head. But this is something I struggle with a lot–I really don’t know how to keep this feeling going in my daily life but maybe that’s why vacation is so wonderful?2 years ago
Emily: It seems my biggest area that needs work is the lack of “me” time. With all my daily activities and weekly rituals, packed with both work and friend/social activities, I always have an overwhelming sense of not being able to surface for air. I need to reevaluate what is really important in my life, and somehow determine what I really want, and really need, to accomplish, and try not to get too overbooked. When I am so focused on just getting through the day onto the next, I tend to miss out on a lot of lifes little pleasures.2 years ago
Bridget: I find that having too many possessions just causes me stress, particularly as I have rarely stayed in one flat for over a year since I was 17. On the other hand I love to be surrounded by things that have real meaning for me so a minimalist household just doesn’t work. What I try (but don’t always succeed in doing) is to only have thing around which have a real use (practical or visual) and all those thing that would usually gather dust I keep in shoe boxes and when I’m upset or stressed I take these out and enjoy looking at and handling them without them filling up my life the rest of the time.2 years ago
Dana: To me it is truly amazing with how little we can actually get by and actually feel a feeling of renewal in our lives from it. Simplicity is a beauty that most people fail to see or appreciate. But when your life is uncluttered and simple then you can actually see clearly the things that really matter the most. It is when we focus on these important things that we recieve real happiness and satisfaction in our lives. It is an uplifting feeling in comparison to the burdened down “normal” life that we all get pulled into. I say… Keep it Simple! I love that motto.2 years ago
EB: I came to the realization at the beginning of the summer that the less crap I have the less stuff I “need”. I started to purge purge purge. I also stopped buying stuff. Even things that were on my “need” list. Part of this has been economic necessity but the major impetus has been a feeling of being overwhelmed by “stuff”. Dropping all those bags of “stuff” of to the childrens cancer charity also gave me a sense of well being that you cannot buy.2 years ago
Brooke, Ah, pictures aren’t clutter are they? And favorite books? And shoes?
There are certain things around the house that for me don’t register as clutter but instead make a space homey and comfy. I know exactly what you mean about the desk!
Lisa, I agree with you — friends do this for me too. I have one friend in particular who I can come to with some melodramatic problem, and she’ll help me see the humor in it. Somehow, I always walk away feeling everything has been put back into perspective.
Emily, Sounds like you need to put yourself in your packed schedule. Even Oprah (love!) puts herself on her schedule. Maybe you could take a cue from her and put dates to go to yoga, take a walk, paint your toenails, watch reruns of your favorite show, etc, in your calendar.
EB, Why is that so true? It seems counter-intuitive, but I know exactly what you mean. Likewise, the less I spend, the freer I feel.2 years ago
Lesley: Yoga really helps me stay in the moment. (If I may use hokey yoga terminology.) I find that if I don’t do it for a week or so, my mind starts filling with everything you mentioned — things I want to cook, books I want to read, articles I should be pitching, and on and on. I must have created three new files yesterday specifically related to these things, but do I feel better about it? Not really. More anxious and stressed that I’m not *doing* any of it.
When I do yoga regularly, I’m generally just content feeling alive, and able to contemplate things like the vase of canary-yellow dahlias I bought a few days ago.2 years ago
Lesley, Color me inspired to get on the mat! You said this so well — and really expressed what it is that I love about yoga. And oh…canary yellow dahlias. Dahlias are my favorite.2 years ago
Karen: I have to agree with the wonders of yoga! I feel contented all day when I take a yoga class.
About summer vacation…. I have been going to a “camp” in the Adirondack mountains for years. I always feel refreshed after visiting there. Hiking, kayaking, “lazing” at the lake…. perfect.
I struggle with clutter at home. Lately I have had the “urge to purge”. It is a work in progress!2 years ago
Phoebe: Yoga does it for me too! I’m lost without it.2 years ago
sandie: Tai Chi and meditation, my life is a holiday every day.
Live Simple? What a dreadful saying.
Live simply, simply live.
Love ‘Pink of Perfection’, reading it is a holiday for my mind.2 years ago
Teri: A few weeks ago I decided to try and live more simply. I purchase a dish cloth that someone had stitched the words “simple” into and it hangs on my stove handle…I see it everyday and it’s inspiring me to declutter and make things simpler. It’s been a rough year for my family (both my DH and I lost our Father’s to long illnesses). And it’s made us really realize what truly is important…and it’s not necessarily all this “stuff” that we have that we never use anymore. Time to declutter and donate and hopefully it will bring joy to others as it once did to us. Looking forward to truly living the “simple life”!!2 years ago
Anita Koller: I recently had a yard sale (I live in a small town in the midwest) I got rid of so much stuff, because I’ve decided that it’s to much work to keep up with things.
One of the things I enjoy about summer is the small limited wardrobe I have when on vacation. I decided that maybe I should have a small wardrobe all the time. So along with all the dust collectors and books I purged my closet. It’s great!2 years ago
Barbara: upon having my first baby in october of last year, my house has gone through a complete transformation. gone is the un-baby friendly bohemian decor (i.e. books stacked here and there on the floors, mirrors tilted against walls in nearly every room, pillars of candles, and the occasional statue) and here to stay is what i describe as rustic modern simplicity. although it was hard parting with some of my most favorite things, it was also liberating and supremely freeing in a way i had not imagined possible (i am a slight pack rat by nature). And now of course my most prized possession, my son, has a safe and simple environment to learn and grow.2 years ago