Create Simplicity, Not Austerity

Last weekend I was at the East West Bookshop, one of my favorite places. Normally I go to the one in Seattle, but I was in Bothell at the dentist, so I decided to stop at the newer one in Bothell. I didn't realize it was about 1/10 the size of the Seattle location, but that's probably okay because I can get into financial trouble in East West. :) So they had some used books out front and I scored about half a dozen of them. One that I started reading almost immediately is Inner Simplicity - 100 Ways to Regain Peace and Nourish Your Soul by Elaine St. James. It's a small book that's very quick to read, but what a great gift this small package is! I particularly liked #5:

Create Simplicity, Not Austerity When I first started to let go of some of the distractions I had unthinkingly allowed to accumulate in my life and to look within, a friend said to me, "But I don't want an austere life." I said, "I don't either!" She had the idea that we were going to give everything away and go live in a hut in the wilderness. I explained to her that getting rid of a lot of our stuff and moving toward an inwardly simple life is not about deprivation or denying ourselves the things we want. It's about getting rid of the things that no longer contribute to the fullness of our lives. It's also about creating balance between our outer and inner lives. One of the issues many of us are dealing with now is coming back to our centers after having spent so much time pursing careers and creating fortunes in the outside world. We've neglected the inner worlds, and our souls are craving some attention. Devoting more time and energy to the cultivation of our inner lives will help us create that balance and also enable us to live our outer lives more fully. But living fully doesn't mean having it all, going everywhere, doing everything, and being all things to all people. Man of us are beginning to see that too much is too much. Doing too much and having too much get in the way of being able to enjoy the things we do want in our lives, and to simply be who we are. Achieving a level of inner simplicity makes it possible to choose intelligently the things that are meaningful in our lives and that contribute to our happiness and our peace of mind. It may ultimately mean doing fewer things and having less stuff, but that decision will come, not from self-denial, but from the wisdom that comes by taking the time to figure out what is important to us, and in letting go of the rest.

I recently joined a "Simplicity Circle" and it was interesting to see the very different ideas that everyone had about what "simplicity" is. I think people often think that simplicity is austerity, and you have to live this life like a monk, giving away all your stuff, in order to be "simple." For me, simplicity is still a work in progress - just in simply defining what "simplicity" is for me. There are some very obvious things - like my recently shedding an obligation that was no longer working for me; what started as a joy turned into a chore and one I was very soon to regret if I didn't drop it. So it was definitely an act of simplification to bow out of that. There's definitely more that needs to go. And other things that need to replace those things. Some of it is a struggle - like knowing that my day job isn't a good fit for me, but not having any alternative I can see right now. Or I should say, no good alternative in the middle of a recession when I've become accustomed to food on my table and a roof over my head. :) This weekend I have many things I should be doing. The place is a mess and there are chores to be done. But in 2 days now, I've done almost nothing of any worth from a productive sense. I've listened to some music. I've watched some DVDS. I've surfed the internet. I've read. I've napped. We drove around aimlessly today, following the coast of West Seattle around the water and meandering into areas we rarely see like Shorewood and Arbor Heights where there are some awesome views. Lattes on the beach. It's been glorious. Refreshing. Simple. Screw the chores. :) Right now I'm choosing some much-needed simplicity.