Living Simply
“Year by year the complexities of this spinning world grow more bewildering and so each year we need all the more to seek peace and comfort in the joyful simplicities.” Woman’s Home Companion, December, 1935
I have been reading books on simplicity in preparation for the Lenten study I’ve agreed to lead. One of my favorites is Simple Abundance, by Sarah Ban Breathnach, which contains a daily reading with suggestions for simplifying life. The quote above struck me as something we can all relate to right now.
At the time the Women’s Home Companion published the suggestion that we all ‘seek peace in the joyful simplicities’, they had no idea that the world was about to come apart. It would be four more years before Germany invaded Poland. Americans were digging our way out of the worst depression our young nation had faced. The Companion encouraged women to rekindle the home fires and learn how to live simply and with soul. Times were hard and giving up was not an option. We have seen similar times for the last five years. It is no small thing that people are rediscovering the home garden and shopping at thrift stores; self-sufficiency is making a comeback. The economists fret that Americans are not spending enough money, but those of us out here in the hinterlands know that we are storing up, shoring up the home-front, and learning how to make-do with what we have. We are saving instead of spending, and I believe that’s a good thing.
Even in times of plenty, living well within one’s means is the better part of wisdom. We’ve seen what happens when we create a make-believe society based on the shifting sands of easy credit and sleight of hands swaps and deals. The time has come to rediscover the peace of mind and soulful abundance of living simply. Suggestion for today: clean off your desk top; give away or recycle as much as you can. Give yourself a fresh start by organizing and dusting whatever is left.
In the spirit,
Jane
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