More Simple Thoughts.

Simplicity is tricky because it isn't always convenient.

Despite good intentions, a day can go from zero to crazy in a matter of moments and keeping calm amidst the storm can be a little challenging. All it takes is one hectic morning to throw a tidy house into chaos or a calm heart into frustration. I can wake up with a plan to keep things simple, but life doesn't always acquiesce to my desires for serenity. And that's the challenge, I think. To find out what simplicity really looks like and how it can apply to a household with three little kids. How do we encourage our kids towards simplicity, too? Are we teaching them the value of a quiet life or are we encouraging busyness? We glorify busyness and productivity in an attempt to thwart laziness, I think. But, it just means we've lost the balance of hard work and rest. Synonyms for simplicity are clarity and straightforwardness and oh, I love the way those words sound. Clarity. Straightforwardness. Cut through the fat. Streamline what matters.

In my journey towards understanding simplicity in my own life, I realize how much of it is an attitude. I can "do" simplicity until I'm blue in the face (cleaning, organizing, purging, etc.), but until my attitude reflects my actions, they are in vain. To take a deep breath and approach things as they are, not as my imagination blows them up to be. When a toddler walks in with toilet paper wrapped around her head, I see little fingers and chubby cheeks that will be gone all too soon, not a frustrating mess to add to my already long list of things to clean up. One aspect of simplicity must be to live in the present and appreciate the here and now, I think.

Just some thoughts on this rainy morning.

Have a lovely day.