What is Living Simply?

I love books, especially when they are beautiful.

Recently I ordered two.

One because it expresses a viewpoint I love; the other because it is the opposite of everything I am. One is tied to nature; the other to finding beautiful things in unorthodox ways.

While I enjoyed the way the last was written, it gave me the sudden urge to purge my closet of outfits.  I promptly found three or four things I’d held onto for far to long and put them up for sale on a local listings page.

Then I bought a new dress for my birthday.

I do these rounds all the time.

As Dave and I discuss the next home we are going to build, I inevitably find myself reading and admiring articles about living in the back of a vehicle and traveling or saving almost all of our income. Then I remember we have kids and pets and work….work that requires storage for samples of every shape and size, as well as house plans and large canvases.  And I LOVE my work. The antique piano stuffed in our office?  My children are learning to play on it just as I did when I was a little girl.

{ “Thinking”, for sale on Chairish }

I’m not sure where the line is drawn between living simply and living, and I definitely can’t be the judge of that for other people. I suppose each stage of life changes that definition for us.

I’ve seen a quote swirling around Facebook that says, “The devil doesn’t come to you with his red face and horns, he comes disguised as everything you’ve ever wanted.”

But I wonder……

Maybe if it’s things that fill our lives without meaning.

But what if what we want has meaning? What if it enriches our lives and that of our family? Many of the desires I’ve entertained have led me to angels.

So live on.

Throw out something if it makes you light; purchase something if it makes your feel pretty. Look for ways to give back.

I think it will all work out in the end.