“I went to the woods
because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of
life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came
to die, discover that I had not lived…I want to live deep and suck out all the
marrow of life…”
One day in history, Henry David Thoreau left the hustle and
bustle of everyday life to live by himself in a small cabin in the woods,
situated next to the ever-quiet Walden Pond.
He left to truly experience life and draw as much out of it as possible. While his unique outlook and way of living
may not have been sound in their entirety, he made some very poignant
points. One, in particular.
“Simplify, simplify.”
We live our lives running here and there, never stopping to
take a breath. Our lives – at least mine
– are filled with lists of things to do, lists of what’s for dinner, lists of
gifts to buy. Our lives are filled with
stuff, both literally and figuratively.
But sometimes, we need to slow, we need to take a breath, we need to
focus on the simple.
I greatly admire people who strive to simplify their
lives. I’ve watched and read about
people who have joined the Tiny House Movement, and I think to myself how
wonderful that would be. Everything has
an exact place, and there simply isn’t room to have many possessions. There is something idyllic and idealistic
about such a small space. I think to
myself, “I want a tiny house! What fun
it would be – an OCD person’s dream to organize.” And then I realize that it would be
unrealistic to have children in such a small space. And where would my parents sleep when they
come to visit? How do people actually do
this?
I have also heard of people who limit the amount of clothes
they wear, usually for a particular season.
Capsule Wardrobes, they are called.
Pick a limited number of tops, pants, coats, etc. to mix and match over
a set number of months. If I were still
a student, I would find this idea a little more plausible, but trying to teach
with only one sweater and five tops simply is not going to happen for me.
Somewhere inside of me, there is a conflict. I want to live simply, and yet, if you were
to look in my closet, you would be astounded.
An old coloring book, my outer space book I made in 2nd grade
when Pluto was still a planet, a 6th grade book report, my Spanish ABC
book, notes from every English class I’ve taken since my freshman year of high
school, old cowboy boots, several baby dolls, and on and on and on the list
goes. How can I get rid of such precious
memories?
I have decided that to live simply is not a command to get
rid of all my childhood treasures, but it is more of a way to view life. I need to minimize distractions to focus on
the elements of life that truly matter: my faith, my family and friends, and
for me, my students. I need to ask
myself if I really need that new pair of shoes or if I simply want it – a very
difficult task at times, trust me. I
need to de-clutter but still keep some of the memories along the way. So today, I challenge myself to “simplify,
simplify,” and we will see where this journey leads.
