Living Simply

Late last night, I was exhausted and had again lost my voice. So I turned to blog reading. Being so busy with school meant that I'd fallen really behind on certain blogs that I love and look to for inspiration.

And I'm so glad I did. I found posts that challenged me again, and made me think about the life I want to live, both here at school, and in the future when I'm starting my adult life.

One thing that has always bothered me is how much I love to read and knit and write, and yet all my older adult friends who love the same things say they have no time whatsoever to indulge in those things. One lady I know says that though when she was my age she devoured books, she hasn't had the time to read a book all the way through in a year and a half. Another tells me that she used to write daily, and hasn't had the time to write more than a chapter or a poem in the last nine months. And again, I retaught a friend's mother how to knit back in October because it'd been eighteen years, she said, since the last time she'd picked up needles and now that her daughter's at school with me, she may have time to do it.

Then I read Rhonda's post from earlier this month, which was actually a repost from a year ago.

"I have written before about not seeing knitting and sewing as a craft, but instead as part of my housework. I love to sew, but when I do, I am producing items for our home, or mending clothes or sheets, making curtains, or sewing on buttons, applying patches or restitching a hem. All things that allow us to keep using what we already own or to create what we need from what we already have. Looking after our clothes and soft furnishings is part of my house work. And so is knitting dishcloths, rugs, tea cosies, hats, mittens and scarves. So I don't feel I'm taking time for myself when I knit or sew, even though I love doing it, it's part of my housework.

Finding joy in daily life is just one of the ways I have made this housework thing work for me. Instead of being the misery it used to be, I look for ways to enjoy my day, I smile, talk, relax and rest when I feel like it. It makes a difference, especially on the busiest of days. But you have to remind yourself to do it when you start, so make a written list, or a mental one, and list what you need to do to enjoy your day. And then, even if it puts you behind a bit, do it - look after yourself so you can look after your family. If you get sick, or if you hate what you're doing, everyone will suffer. So give yourself time to do a few things you enjoy throughout the day. Rest. Sit down with a cup of coffee and talk to the children, or who ever is in the house. If no one is there, email or phone a friend. Look for joy in your day, find happiness in the pantry, reinvent your routines so they work for you, and respect the work you do for you are making a warm and comfortable home, and that is one of the most important jobs there is."

This was what I'd been thinking for the longest time. I do want to be a stay at home mother. I want to raise my family, make my home beautiful, and live in peace and simplicity. I want that more than almost anything else. Including a high paying job which would keep me from realising that. I know this will sound incredably immature and that many will shake their heads and tell me to wait until I see what the "real" world's like, but I'd rather have to live on the tighter side of things, monetarily, if I can follow this sort of life that I love. Life isn't about money and success. It's about living, following God and the life he's called me to.

My whole struggle right now is living simply while at college. It's not exactly set up for that sort of pursuit, really. College is another form of rampant consumerism. Spend lots of money, live in created surroundings, not in a 'home and family' setting at all.

And so this post came in quite handy.

I'm going to start looking at my life here and see the places I can cut out. Cheers!