simplicity and beauty

Looking Forward

/ inkspeare

Spring is almost here, and the old farmhouse becomes alive again. That entails many chores, most of them delightful, at least in my eyes. To prepare this home for spring, I like to give the porch a refresh, change or move around things a bit, after a good cleaning. The side entrance gets new life as well. Both entrances are adorned with new wreaths (recycled). This year, it was time to change the tattered flag and replace it with something different. I love the farm animals’ motif on this flag. I have decided to eliminate the side entrance flag in order to simplify the outdoors a bit. It will stay up until the holidays, and then, I will remove the pole as well. Most of these items have migrated from indoors to outdoor use as I continue to declutter and simplify things inside. I love pine trees, so the pine tree sign stays all year and so does my two potted cedars. I found the little cedars growing outside when these were about two or three inches tall, and they have grown lovely. They look great during the Christmas season as well. In living simply, one of the things I have decided to eliminate is having artificial flowers all over the house, indoors that is. These flowers were repurposed for use on the side door arrangement. The rest of the flowers and many other items were donated to our local SPCA thrift shop. All the proceeds go to help pets in the shelter and families who need pet food and cannot afford it at a particular time. It is a great place. Once the holidays arrive again, I will eliminate most of my Christmas decor, and leave only a few items and our Christmas tree. I have already told members of my family that I don’t want any gifts, unless they disappear with use, such as a candle or holiday food items, if they insist on gifting. As I age, I find the need and want for things, whether decor or other has really diminished. I can appreciate the beautiful and lovely things without wanting these items. I have only left some meaningful items that represent gifts from people I love, and a few dear to me. I like the feeling of lightness and simplicity, and as I am enjoying this feeling, I think more items will have to find new homes and people who will appreciate these in their surroundings. It is a win-win.

The month of March is reserved for setting up the garden areas and for general cleanup. Areas that have not performed well will be eliminated, and other areas will be improved or simplified. The idea is to make the garden more enjoyable and less of a chore. Some potted plants will be condensed and in general, the areas will become less cluttered and easier to manage. March is also the time to clean and set up the veggie garden and also a time to plan what veggies we will plant this year. We also plan the outdoor projects for this year. We will try to tackle one project a month, if possible. One very important, and the first project we will tackle is fixing the way the grape vine is hanging. We let it grow over the veggie garden fence. Last year was the first year that we would have collected grapes, and the vine was full of grapes. However, when the grapes were almost ready to pick, they disappeared overnight, hundreds of grapes gone. I was puzzled. We think that deer had a feast, so we have to come up with a solution. We trimmed the vine, and we will start it again this year, higher up this time.

Outdoor projects will continue until September or October, depending on the weather, so there is not much time to do everything we would like to do. However, planning helps us take care of the most important issues and prioritize them. I will share some of these projects here.

Happy Spring!

Your Dream Might Overshadow Your Purpose

/ inkspeare

Dreaming starts early in life. It starts wishing for favorite toys and things we want as kids, and it continues to evolve to more complex desires, material, such as a car or a house, and even nonmaterial things such as success, financial freedom, and so on. I don’t think that there is anyone on this planet that does not have at least one dream.

For many of us, our most precious dreams manifest late in life; other people never get to realize their dream, and others struggle all their life in pursuit of something that never materializes. Other people realize what they thought was their dream, was actually not after achieving it. Sometimes, our dreams can overshadow a main purpose. That is, we are so focused on achieving what we want (or think we want) that we forget the main objective, which might be different from our dream. For example, let’s say that I run a shop to raise money for a cause. The main purpose is to make as much money to benefit such cause. However, I had a dream of owning an upscale boutique, and the shop is fulfilling a small part of that dream, emotionally that is. Ideally, and keeping to the main purpose of raising money for a cause, I would price items at various price points to attract as many people as possible in order to achieve my main purpose. However, my own dream gets in the way and overshadows my main objective. I start thinking of more upscale items that will attract specific buyers, and not the number of customers I need coming through the doors in order to achieve the main purpose. In this example, my personal dream overshadowed my main objective which was to raise as much money as possible for a cause. Another example, it is also the case of parents who live their dream through their kids. The kid’s own dreams take second place and so does parenting. These are just two examples but this can apply to many things in life, including writing.

We are emotional beings and sometimes, the strings of the heart play a louder melody, thus deafening us to our main objective. To dream is in our nature, and so is to strive and achieve a purpose/objective. Sometimes, those two don’t necessarily align well. When in doubt, go back to the main objective.

We can think that the moon is a slice of cheese, or we can see it for what it is. (Photo by M.A.D.)

You Are Not What You Own

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I took this picture in 2012 or so; it still speaks to me. (Photo by M.A.D.)

The minute we open our eyes to receive a brand-new day we are bombarded by advertising, whether on the news, the items we already own, and it continues throughout our day. Whether we realize it or not, we are being sold something (material or other) all the time. It is no wonder that we feel the need to accumulate more things and think that we actually need most of these items to live. We have learned to build status, a persona, around these things, and many times, we confuse who we are with the number of things or status we possess. Society builds itself around opportunities to have and have more, as well as the perception other people have of what we own. If we don’t own, we might not feel at par with the rest and we feel diminished. Why is that?

We have placed more value on our material possessions than on the God-given gifts and abilities we have; we have become our possessions and to have less than what society expects of us is unacceptable for many people. If we don’t follow the herd, we feel marginalized because sometimes, we are. The day we open our eyes and wake up, that is the day that we realize that we are more than what we own, and that our human value surpasses all of that. We understand that any material items in our lives are a blessing and not an extension of our Self. Then, we become grateful and free, not controlled or cursed by our material possessions or even the emotional weight that these put on us. Gratefulness opens the door for generosity and sharing. The true essence of who we are starts to emerge.

The Simple Life – Simplicity and Beauty

/ inkspeare

As I have slowly learned to embrace a much simpler life, I have also learned to find simplicity and beauty in the everyday flow. Easier said than done at times. When we are presented with good and rosy days, a lot easier, but more challenging when what we perceive is the not so nice or the ugly. Embracing a simple life taught me to find beauty and simplicity even in those circumstances. Never easy at the start, but willing, the focus and vision became clear, and I realized that even in less than perfect or idyllic circumstances, one can find something good, even beauty, and learn appreciation for what truly is. It is through challenges that we grow the most, although I believe that one can experience growth looking at a beautiful sunset or watching a fire, more so when in the midst of it. In both circumstances there is beauty and simplicity, that is, if we care to see in humility. I have experienced both extremes and can honestly say that from both there is much to learn and appreciate. I’ve found that simplicity and beauty are always present, inviting us to learn a life’s lesson. Maybe not so easy to recognize when we are in the midst of a challenge, when things don’t seem too pretty, when anger and bitterness dominate our thoughts and hearts, but much later on, when we have surrendered our will to God, and experienced a shift in disposition, acceptance, the beginning of clarity.

A clouded vision cannot see beauty, even when in front of it. A heavy heart cannot experience simplicity because it is burdened at the moment, in a complicated state, far away from simplicity. Only when we let go and open our mind and heart to receive a new beginning can we see the new dawn. In learning to live a simple life, I had to let go, but I received so much more.

Photo by M.A.D.