I thought a lot this week about simplicity. Given the recent stresses at work, I’ve tried my best to return to the small things in life that make each day memorable rather than another source of exasperation. In a world surrounded by the new, the “must haves,” and the ever growing temptation to surround oneself with things, it can be difficult to wade in the sea and come up with a single, smooth rock, a piece of polished glass, or a white, unadorned shell. And yet, in spite of all those voices seen and unseen encouraging me to give in to my desires for more, I find myself seeking the simplest things in life. I look forward to those mornings when it’s time to start the next batch of bread: when I fit mixing the simple ingredients of salt, sugar, flour, yeast, and ice water into a bowl into my daily morning routine.
or when I find the tiniest tomato just ready to be plucked from the vine, after returning home from a busy day at work.
And then there are the amazingly beautiful things discovered, built by nature, that never cease to inspire: have you ever thought just how simple it is to build one’s home where you currently are, as the spider does, rather than moving along some imagined trajectory of success? As someone who moved nearly every 3 years growing up, I am finding the quiet joy in living in a place and letting myself settle into this life.
But I have found that no matter what each day brings, at the end of the day, there’s always a good book to curl up to, and that is just enough for me.
We spent the past week in Indiana visiting my family, and although it was an adventure getting up there, we greatly appreciated the drop in temperatures, the changing colors of the leaves, and the time spent with loved ones. After spending evenings outside on the porch drinking wine and eating delicious home-cooked, often locally produced food, I want to instill that sense of calm in our own home in the evenings: even with graduate school, working full time, and other stresses, we should strive to sit down and enjoy the cooler temperatures together, with nothing but our thoughts to keep each other company. What is your resolution for this fall?
little city big love 