THE SIMPLE LIFE(STYLE)
Throughout 2020, many of us have lost a LOT of what once defined our lives: routines, hangouts, traditions, and many other things upended or indefinitely postponed. It’s cleared a lot off of our collective schedules. And what are we left with?
Thankfully, I’ve had a bit of experience with a time when there was far, far less to keep a young kid occupied than there is even now. Being stuck in the forests of New Hampshire as a kid before the days of wifi, cell phones and video games, I had to create my own enjoyment out of what nature provided for me. And you know what? I managed pretty well, and ended up building tree forts, trees and locating swimming holes wherever I could. That experience helped hone my imagination and sense of invention, which guided me towards a degree in Environmental Studies at UVM — after all, being in nature was already a pleasure for me by that point. Moreover, it honed my imagination and sense of invention, which has served me well in my current endeavors.
However, for most of us, getting towards the Simple Life(style) is gonna take a little practice. You don’t just wake up one day with the entire social order thrown out of wack like our pal down here…The point is to put out your inner fire first and begin with letting go of the clutter from there. So let’s start.
Now this is all easier said than done, if not simpler, of course. For those stressed about sending kids back to school, job loss, or the state of the nation or the world, it’s not like the problems or stresses are getting any simpler.
This is ALL the more reason to start paring down one’s lifestyle NOW, and really determining what you can do without. And while I don’t have a family, I do have a business which a lot of people depend upon for their survival, and like all businesses, it has lots of moving parts that all need to be working in harmony in order to function and grow. For me, keeping it simple means operating in a state of flow, where I and everyone else on the team I have created knows their role and is executing properly within it.