by John Boguhn

Created on: August 03, 2009

"To live the simple life;" it's an interesting concept. By definition simple means to be uncomplicated. How in the modern world does one live a life without complications. What has to happen in order for a person to find that place. I don't think it means buying that piece of land in the woods and going off the grid; or getting the little farm with the cow, a few chickens and a vegetable garden. Not that either would be a bad thing. Divesting the daily routine of urban sprawl can be a great way of eliminating complications. But if for you the natural life challenges that soft nerve and make you edgy, then country living is just a different obstacle. The Simple Life is not something that can be achieved by running away. And starting over will only work if the original issues have been isolated and eliminated. So what is it, what do we have to do to experience a simpler life.

I think first you have to take stock of your self. Examine the pros and cons listed in terms of value. Where do your needs lie. Decide what you love, what feels good, what touches you. Where does your heart go when you take it off it's leash. In what direction does your moral compass point. Which key unlocks your passion, which door opens to hope. Follow the coarse that that comes naturally, because the simplest route is usually the path of least resistance. If you can walk freely toward tomorrow with out tripping over life it means your probably on the right track.

I don't believe that a simpler life comes without work, or even without pain. Sometime you have to pop a blister before it will heal. There may be a need to draw some solid lines in the sand in order to make it clear to yourself that you want the change. And I think it starts with the purge; letting go of the unnecessary. It's like cleaning out the closet; you ditch the clothes that don't fit anymore. No matter how good they made you look back in the day, now they're just taking up space. And if it's hard, then the choices being made are probably getting close to the core. After all where would the satisfaction come from if the Simple Life came without effort. Stripping yourself of the unnecessary clutter is what living a simpler life is all about.

A perfect example; adjusting to the empty nest. What do you do now that the family has moved on with their own lives. You bought the big house with the big yard back when you bought into the family plan. Now the kids are gone, the spouse is gone and the only time the extra bedrooms

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