Simplicity

Simplicity. There are so many meanings to that word. Some people think of simplicity in a positive way; modest, natural, clean. Some think of it in a different way; stupid, naive, boring. I’ve been taking a simpler approach to life. Or at least trying to. Although, I wonder just how simple we can become.

In order to live a simple life, do we need to sell everything, move to the mountains, build a log cabin and hunt for food? I wouldn’t be opposed to that. But is that really an option? At this time, no. How can I make my life more simplistic right now? I find myself lying awake at night contemplating this very question.

My mind immediately goes to things I need to buy to make my life more simple. This thought immediately gets shut down: “that’s the opposite of what I’m trying to do!”. I do find myself being pulled back into the consumerism that is today’s society. There’s a gadget for this, a pill for that, someone who can do it for you. I don’t want that anymore! I want to be genuinely happy. I want to know my purpose. I want to feel like I’m not missing anything, that I’m not just getting lost in the hum-drum of everyday being. I want to branch out in my consciousness, my intellect and my physical being. This is starting to sound very spiritual, which is not where I want to go with this. All I’m saying is that there has to be more to life than what I’m currently experiencing. Do other people think like this? Do they just decide “oh well, life is what it is… don’t mess with what you’ve got”?

Not me. Not anymore. I’m doing a job that sort of interests me, but I still feel very unfulfilled. I’m not going to tell you that I’ll quit my job and move to Africa to take care of orphaned children. I have a life here. I have a boyfriend whom I absolutely love and can’t live without. I have a very loving & supportive family – I can’t leave these people behind. I have friends that I get excited to see. “Your life sounds amazing” some may think. It is, to a certain extent. But just because I have amazing people surrounding me doesn’t mean that I feel amazing on the inside. Something has always been missing. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but as the years have gone by, I have identified a part of it to be happiness. Ultimate, irrefutable happiness. Not the happiness that comes and goes with physical things. The eternal, constant happiness that you read about in books.

I used to think that if I was extremely wealthy, I would be happy.  I don’t believe this anymore. I had way more physical belongings than someone ever needs, and I still wasn’t happy. Again, this is not going to end with me moving to the mountains alone… or at least I don’t think it will end that way.

So what is it? What’s the answer? I don’t know. I’m sorry if you thought I was going to give you some magical key to happiness and eternal peace. But you can join me on my journey to achieve inner happiness. The more the merrier. I just need something to change. That change begins with my decisions and my actions. It doesn’t begin with winning the lottery or getting a raise. It’s all me. No pressure, right?