Monday, January 11, 2010

Starting your simple life by Rhonda at Down to Earth


DH and I have been living a simple life for many year. It's our life style. We did not want to get caught up in the hurry/scurry world as much as possible. We don't have cell phones or cable TV, I cook and bake from scratch, I line dry our laundry, no dishwasher, and we are not in debt. We have shopped thrift stores, flea markets and yard sales. We buy bulk. We 'curbside' shop, or as some call it we go 'junking'. It's not the norm, and we've been looked down on for living the way we do. But, the peace of mind is worth it. We're not struggling to keep up with everyone else. We're just living our life one day at a time and thankful for it.

I came across Rhonda's blog Down-to-Earth last year and her writings have truly been an inspiration to me. It's nice to read about other people who are living the same way.

Below is an excerpt from one of her posts. May others be inspired to live a simpler, more peaceful life by her writings. The whole post can be found here.

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I worked out that I had to make my own happiness. I realized I had to shape life so that both Hanno and I would be happy, without the constant spending that we once did. It suddenly dawned on me that instead of looking outward to other people, the stores, buying more crap and the outside world in general, that we could build what we wanted at home. We could fill our lives with meaningful work that would sustain not only our physical beings but our spirits as well. When I knew that our happiness was not reliant on anything "outside" I started to slow down and concentrate on doing my work well. This lead to several things. I was more relaxed as I wasn't rushing to complete tasks, I changed some of the things I was doing because I felt that I could do them better another way, I discovered that housework never ends, so I didn't try to finish it every day. I've accepted housework now as an ongoing stream of chores with no end. Knowing this took a lot of pressure off to complete everything within a certain amount of time. I hope you understand the general idea of what I've written here. I guess the message is to slow down, be mindful of what you're doing, stop multi-tasking and try to enjoy even the most simple tasks. If you look for it, there is beauty in the mundane and familiar.

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Have a lovely day today,

living in and enjoying each moment that you are given.

FlowerLady





7 comments:

Joanne said...

Yes very true words. It is important for each of us to get a balance of what is right for us and not what will impress others.

L. D. said...

I have reached a point in my life where money isn't the issue, but had been my worry all my working days. Now I am settling in and trying to see where God is sending me in life style and quality of life. I really do want simple and casual. I don't have to impress people with my things, but just enjoy the things that have been created. Even enjoy myself as a created person. It will be interesting how it all works out. I really liked what you wrote.

Darcie said...

Can I just say this is something that I have been struggling with as of late, and have told myself over and over again, "Don't get sucked in"...the whole idea of keeping up with others. We live in a neighboorhood that we really don't fit in...so much showcasing. My husband and I have had a lot of talks, and we both have agreed to making some drastic changes within the next year...it may be later in the year(because of his job)...but there is going to be changes.

Thanks for this post and the reminder that simple is better...simple bring less stress and true happiness.

Rambling Tart said...

I really enjoy Rhonda's blog as well. :-) So many good ideas for beautiful, simple living. :-)

Homemaker's Heart said...

Hi! I found my way here from Farmgirl Cyn. I really like this post. It is the way my heart feels but haven't been able to put it into words. I long to have such a life with no cell phones, living in today. We already have eliminated cable and are on the cusp of debt free (except the house). I hope to read more about your journey. Thank you for the inspiration.

Peace,
Dee

Mrs. E said...

Flower Lady, you are on the path a lot of us need to be on. Bless you! I think if there were more of you in our country--our country would be in a lot less trouble than it is! Kudos to you!

Rebecca said...

I understand. (How I failed to see this post before, I don't know.)