A Simple Life

It's the 12th of July and it’s the ‘Simplicity Day’! I actually never knew there was such a day. It is apparently the birthday of Henry David Thoreau, an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher, from whom this day was created to unshackle people from the complications and the hustle and bustle of daily life. As?Thoreau said: “As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.”

Well, how to live a simple life? Being simple should

be something easy to do but it is indeed tougher than it sounds. As I reflect

upon my 40-plus years of life, I realised that I have come from simple living

to such a complicated one. I actually grew to enjoy the nearly 2 years of

lockdown, the home-bound, quiet, peaceful, limited movement which actually gave

me more thinking space. Is that what simplicity is all about?

We have all begun to realise that modernisation, the technology and all the growth brought about by our smart thinking machine – the brain – had truly got us into such complications. Just yesterday my husband was asking how would it be if our brains had stopped thinking too much? Would that mean limitation and lack of progress?

I find being simple both easy and tough in certain ways. After accumulating all the clothes in my wardrobe over the years, I find it so tough to reduce them. Although I know that I have not used 50 percent of them in at least 2 years but I simply can’t reduce. Each time I take a look at them I tell myself I will definitely have a reason to wear them soon and I am not going to buy them at a higher rate when I need them. But when would I use them, I just don’t know? The only thing I am proud of myself is that I have stopped buying unnecessarily and slowly getting into the habit of one is just enough. This goes for my shoes as well. Now I can live with one till it gets worn out and not buy when I feel like it.

How did this habit stop? Again, thanks to the pandemic. When I was earning a fixed salary, I just wanted to reward myself almost every other month. There was always some reason to buy this and that. Covid had to come by to teach me this lesson.

Being simple. What is it really? Not having more than one, being minimalist, being straightforward, not making comparisons and just being able to say enough is enough. ?It is a way to live a purposeful and meaningful life. In a way, it is the real-life God created us to live. Giving freely instead of spending freely when we earn or have more than enough.

Now as the economy gets into deeper inflation leading toward price hikes, instead of worrying and making all the unhealthy unhelpful noises around, it is again time to reflect and be mindful about our spending. We can only do what we can, which is monitoring what’s within our locus of control. It’s time to live a simple life. We can get a part-time job just to meet our needs but why all the more stress when we can opt for something mindful. No need for big meals but just simple healthy eats. I really miss those days when we hardly go out for a meal. We eat whatever was cooked at home. Be it the same gravy or vege every other day, yet we were really happy about it as it kept us filled and we hardly munched this and that in between. That was a simple yet happy life. No Grab nor Food Panda to spoil us with, no mobile phones to waste the time with. That really was a nice life.

There was never a need for expensive holidays but just a simple day out with family which created wonderful memories. Now, we find the best hotel based on the review of others, end up staying in the hotel for less than half a day, get caught in massive traffic, wait in the long queue for food, get irritated and complain and end up coming home unhappy although we spent a quarter of the salary on that trip. We have really lost the meaning of a good simple life.

In my younger days, in the 80s to 90s, I hardly recall being bored although there was hardly a variety of stuff to play with or to do. It was just us with our family, neighbours who were also great friends. We could just go to the same playground day in and day out and yet find so much excitement there. Now we go from one place to another because we are just not satisfied. We need to get more pictures to update our digital albums. We easily get bored. Anything done more than once is no fun anymore. We at times don’t eat the food kept overnight for our tongue gets tired of eating them and we end up feeding it to the birds and ordering something online.

We only had 3 channels of television programmes to choose from and watch. Not many cartoons to watch and yet they were our favourites. We found such joy in just going for walks or just sitting and chatting away with our family members and next-door neighbours. But now we have too many chat groups and yet we wonder if those chats are for real?

What happened to our good old days? The real simple life brought such happiness. Great fond memories. The time where I will not be able to bring my son to see and enjoy it because they simply won’t know what it was like. It is not a world for them but a time of ours. Those simple days.

To live a simple life is not at all to make any sort of comparison of our progress with others. Be it our home, job or anything at all. We just have to learn to be thankful for what we have and keep it simple. Never compare even our car with our neighbour’s but be thankful that we have one to carry us around. If we can comfortably afford to buy something we like then go ahead and satisfy the want. After all, what else do we live on this earth for and why else do we work and earn if we can’t do ourselves a favour. But this purchase must be one we are comfortable to do and one which is worthwhile. Not a rash decision and an impulsive one. That is when we lose ourselves and end up having too much of unwanted baggage. The loans, debts and all the bills to pay thereafter.

Living in simplicity is different for everyone. Having too much can be a problem but by having too little, we won’t know what we are missing. For all of us, simplicity comes in different packages and sizes. Whatever it is, there must always be a time for self-reflection. When we live in such a fast-paced life, we often lose ourselves and there will come a point in life where we start searching for happiness outside when the real place which can keep us happy is our own simple hearts and minds.

So, live in simplicity according to your own needs and wants. Know when to say enough is enough, know when to put a stop and most importantly, know that your simple life is the best life you will regret not having.

I have learnt a great lesson, I have reflected and opted for a simple life. I’m not there yet but will hopefully declutter and realise where my real simple happiness lies. It’s after all just a simple life.?

#simplelife #selfreflection #henrydavidthoreau