I met two friends for lunch and the conversation quickly turned towards the desire to live a more simple life. We talked about our busy schedules, extra curricular activities, the demands of life, and the large houses my friends had purchased a few years ago. We talked about expensive mortgages, time spent cleaning, and how they wished they had made a different decision. One of them mentioned that the move up to a larger home had not been what she expected, and now she was planning on simplifying. We all agreed that life is too complicated. A simple life… sounds wonderful!
As we talked I began to think back at my own journey towards a more simple life. It all began when I had the opportunity of spending five summers and winters in the beautiful state of Alaska. After two years living in town, we decided it was time to move out of the city and live as Alaskan as possible. We purchased a home out in the woods, where friendly chickadees, moose, fox, and shy bears became our neighbors. The house was small, but our five acres bordered public land, so we literally had hundreds of acres of Alaskan wilderness to discover and explore.
During our time there, I learned to slow down and enjoy a different pace of life. One can’t be in a hurry to start a fire in the wood stove and warm up the house, and getting out the door in the winter required extra time to get the snow gear and warm clothes on. In addition, there is no way to enjoy the northern lights in just a couple of minutes. One must linger long looking up at the night sky, while green, red, white, and purple lights slowly dance high above. And what to do when the temperatures go down below freezing, but to head indoors, spend time with family and friends, and eat cookies or drink hot chocolate?
I have been a city dweller for as long as I can remember, living in close proximity to people, with little outdoor space to explore. Alaska was a new experience, especially after we moved in to our little house in the woods. It was there that I learned to truly appreciate the beautiful natural world God had created, that I gained a passion for birdwatching, and learned to look at my surroundings in a new way. Hiking became a favorite activity. Sometimes to explore a frozen pond near the house, find a stream slowly cross the wide landscape, or to simply enjoy the fresh air and the soft forest floor. I enjoyed all sorts of wild berries that were used in home made delicacies. I would sit on the porch listening to the gentle rain fall during the warmer months, soak up the sun in the summer, or wrap up in a warm blanket to watch the northern lights silently dance the night away. Summers were active enjoying the midnight sun. The state gets filled with flowers and tourists, and the vegetables grow to uncommonly large sizes. When time came to move out of the Last Frontier, we were forced to leave many of our belongings behind and with that it was added to my journey towards simple living a life with less stuff.
The fact is that a simple life has many benefits. More time with family and friends, less time cleaning and organizing; more time learning new things, less time worrying. More time to fulfill our dreams and spend time on what is truly important. I like this and I desire more of it.
After lunch, my friends and I agreed that we should strive for simplicity, and we each left with the desire to build a better life for us and our families. Now that I’m living in the city again, I want to remember the things learned in Alaska and live a simple life even here. I got home, grabbed a large bag, and started going through some of my things I know I don’t need. Then I looked at my calendar and to do list, and came up with a plan to simplify the rest of the week.