I was asked by a friend in my FB group what Simplicity was to me and what I considered living simply. This got me thinking for many days since my first response was that living simply and simplicity both meant being happy.
To others it may and I am sure does mean other things but I like the concept of simply being happy , being happy with what I have and even though I may have to make do at times still being happy in the fact that I am self sufficient.
Then I was asked , What does knowledge have to do with living more simply? And I thought to myself that is exactly the point , by that I mean if you have the knowledge to be self sufficient you can and should live more simply. Knowledge is power it always has been and always will be. Now please don't mistake what I am saying here , I am not talking about academic knowledge alone. I am talking about the survival instinct we all have within us that helps us to recycle products by making new ones perhaps out of what ever we have on hand , growing our own food , sewing our own clothing and on and on. Most of these things are truly becoming a lost art and I can't tell you how may people I have come in contact with over the years that think I am the most intelligent person they have ever met only because I think for myself and can make just about anything from anything. This saves money and to many people in these trying times , have to out of simple need. Our unemployment rate is threw the roof and living on what little they get from the government has many asking how they are going to get by. I say by living more simply , ask yourself what are your true needs? And then ask yourself what you can do about it. Think outside the box and back to a time before all the modern conveniences we now have. How did they survive during the 19th century or even before? If they could do it surely with all the things in our lives these days we should be able to as well , plus we are better educated and anyone wanting to use the internet can even if they have to go to their local library to research ideas and ways to get by. I know from experience since as a child and even once as an adult I was homeless for a time , not knowing where my next meal would come from or how my family would survive. I learned very quickly to do for myself.
Everything I blog about is to help others live more simply including myself. I found myself getting caught up in the buy it already made it makes things easier , notice I said easier not simpler. The reason I say easier is due to the fact that everything I buy costs money , money that has to be worked for. So work harder to make more money to make life easier? This just doesn't make sense in my mind. I would rather make and do for myself with what I already have and only purchase what I truly need in order to sustain my life. An example of what I truly need and can't make myself being , my A/C is out right now and it is hot out but it's not as bad as one would think , yet I can and have to admit I would not even think of living without A/C ( Not Ever ). I needed a new toilet the other day when my husband was putting in new flooring , since I can't make one I had to go purchase one. Yet when veggies and fruits are on sale or free ( I wish ) , I can and make jams and preserve my own veggies. This is healthier and more cost effective in the long run.
Living more simply also allows us time together as opposed a family working 2-3 jobs may not have. We talk more and do more together , usually having a Great time depending on the project at hand. We are a normal family we have our moments....lol
As you can see living more simply and the word easy are not the same. I would never tell anyone living a simpler life is easy it does take work but everything in life does. But do I want my husband killing himself to provide for us? No way! Knowing that he is home more and spending time with us makes me happy as it does my 9 yr. old so by living more simply and doing for ourselves we are happier.
These are only my thoughts on living more simply or a simpler life and I know I will probably get many comments on this topic. I hope that I do , it is wonderful to read and see how others view a topic. In this way we can learn from each other and make our lives and our children's lives better. But please keep in mind when you leave a comment regarding what I have said that it is my opinion , I am not putting anyone down for how they choose to live their lives. That is for each person to decide for themselves and I am in no way judging anyone for anything. Until Tomorrow Dear reader's ......
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