Hiking Trail in Topanga Canyon, CA
Is it just me or have we Americans created ridiculously complicated lives? Our monetary system is incredibly complex and our health care system has layers and layers of bureaucracy. The cars we drive are complicated and very few of us understand how to fix them when something goes wrong. It seems there was a time when small complications could be taken care of quite easily in one’s own garage but not anymore.
Making a major purchase like a house involves stacks and stacks of paper work and most people don’t even understand the documents they sign. I’m all for choice but when I walk into a store there are so many choices that I’m often overwhelmed and want to go running for the exit. There are countless other examples of complexity but these are just a few that come to my mind as I write this entry.
What’s a girl to do, huh? I want a peaceful tranquil life. I don’t want to spend the majority of my time bogged down in what I see as a lot of unnecessary complications. Certainly we were not put on this planet to spend disproportionate amounts of our time pursuing such mundane endeavors. It’s hard to enjoy life when our day to day routines are more complicated than a physics equation.
Here’s a few things I’m doing to “un-complicate” my life and make it as simple as possible. When life is simple I have more time to enjoy life and more time to spend doing those things I love.
- Lowering my standards when it comes to housework: My house does not have to constantly be spotless. As long as it is somewhat clean and the litter box is not overflowing with kitty poo then why does my house need to look like a Better Homes and Garden layout every day?
- Personal Grooming: I don’t have to constantly “dress up” and look like a fashion plate every day. I’m not advocating skipping showering or brushing my teeth, but do I need to put on eye makeup every day? Do I need to coif my hair perfectly?
- Controlling information overload: I don’t have to keep up with everything happening in the news. Some days it’s ok to take a break. This one is hard for me because I’m a political junkie and love to keep up with what’s going on in the world. Besides, much of the information is just the same old same old.
- Food Preparation: Not every meal has to be an elaborate feast. Some nights it’s ok to just have a salad and some soup. Or maybe a baked potato with fun toppings. Thanks to Trader Joe’s I can get lots of healthy pre-made food at a reasonable cost.
- Paperwork: I’m trying to eliminate as much paper from my life as I can. I’m doing this by saving as much information as I can to my computer. If there is a hard copy that I must keep, then I will make a file for it, but most things can be scanned to your computer. This eliminates a lot of clutter.
- Only buying what I really need: I’ve been on a real minimalist kick these past couple of years. The less time I have to spend on the upkeep of material possessions, the more time I have for the important things in life.
A simple life is a rich life. What are you doing to simplify your life?
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