I'm sure I've blogged about this before but it seems to be something that is calling to be written about again. At least in my world right now it seems that way. I'm not writing out of a great need to put this into type on the computer as we sometimes need to do when we journal per se, but instead it seems to be resonating with me in a great manner lately. For myself the 'simple life' is something that I have been moving and working towards for a long, long time for many reasons. My life in the past was filled with being a single parent with lots of demands on myself and often by my own doing. This created a life which was fraught with overachieving efforts, a far too busy life day to day and large levels of stress. Did I say large?? Well, that would be more like HUGE. Sad to say (or rather 'thank goodness') my physical life began to deteriorate and I was bordering on chronic illness according to my naturopath. Funny how it occurs to me now that if I was seeing a naturopath that I did at least hold some regard for my health and welfare, but obviously not quite enough. My biggest problem was in fact my own ego and the thought process that I in fact would be someone who could live this hectic lifestyle and not be affected by it. I was sorely wrong about this. I remember sitting in her office and hearing her say those words that rang in my ears and knowing right then and there that I needed to make changes in my life. I had told myself this all before but this time was the clincher....there were going to be no more chances. It was time.
So the 'simple life' came into effect and I can say that it is something that I work on each and every day. My biggest issue was that I was in fact addicted to my former lifestyle. Yes, addicted. It's not just a matter one day of waking up and deciding to change the entire way you live your life. You have habits and patterns that reside deep inside of your being. It is almost like having to extract or remove these characteristics from who you are. An extraction might have been easier in fact. Quick and effortless and then life would be good right? No it's never that easy. I needed to change and of course we all know that change is something that we often resist or can find hard to accept. The 'old' me thrived on my previous lifestyle and somehow received silent accolades from the part of me that resonated with these now all knowing poor lifestyle choices. Yes, it's that inner rush you get from doing the impossible and yet there you stand having done it. Never looking at the damage you are doing, but just reveling in the moment. How filled with ego is it when you think that you and only you will be able to live this kind of life and get away with it not affecting you? Now, there may be others who can live this kind of life and it doesn't affect them in an ill manner, but I will predict that they have something in their life that helps to balance all of it. I didn't. Mine was all one-sided and ready to tip over.
So 'simple' for me remains to be a challenge each and every day. It may sound silly but I need to remember things such as making the effort to speak, walk and even look more slowly. I try to 'think' less quickly in terms of really understanding that which I am trying to process. Being in the present moment is one that I really enjoy in terms of where I am and what is happening right then and there. I make sure that I don't overextend myself and like to block time out for just me. I can tell when 'simple' is getting away from me because I will begin to feel irritated and my agitation meter will begin to rise. But that's my signal to slow down so I take stock and sort of rewind. All emotion ends up residing in our body and mine is no different. And of course the emotions that I am concerned about are the negative ones. I have studied the effects of stress for years and am finally applying it to myself. I know that every thought I have and each emotion I feel will express itself in my physical body. So I am the driver of all actions and reactions and am responsible for how this unfolds.
I need to sip a cup of tea and truly enjoy it. I need to look with my eyes and really 'see' all that is around me. I need to speak words and really hear what it is I am saying. I need to be with my family and really be in their presence. I need to go to my job and be able to keep a balance for myself when I am in an environment that is filled with high energies. I must make the right choices if I want to live with good health mentally, physically and spiritually. There is no more time to wait on this one. Each day is a challenge but each day I get better at creating a life that has softer edges and allows me to live 'simply'. For this I am grateful.
I hope your life can be a 'simple' one and that you can look back at the end of each day and be proud of how you chose to 'be' in it.
Namaste...........
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