Looking At Last Years Photos and Thinking

Last night I was looking through my CD's with last Octobers photos stored on them. I guess I wanted to remember visually what is yet to come weather wise, as though the summer heat has erased my memory of cool weather and fall gardens.
I came across this picture and remembered well, the day I made this bread and how the kitchen smelled while it baked. The picture made me want to decorate for fall already, but I will wait, impatiently yes. Fall is officially about 3 weeks away. If I decorate now, then I will be tempted to rush in Christmas and time flies fast enough on its own, no need for my help in that department. Rushing and impatience is what gets people in trouble.
Emery and I had a long chat tonight about people wanting a simple life, but never being brave enough to step back and go after it. We talked about the things from 100 years ago that were good and wholesome attitudes and pleasures, but no longer lived. Neighbors, being friends. Families staying home in the evenings, life before cars without all the rushing around. Moral behaviors the norm, the expected actually. Corner stores and family owned businesses. Butchers, bakers and hat shops. Propriety was a word in everyone's vocabulary. Children played without having rooms full of toys. Imagination was part of every child's life. Girls played dolls and wanted to grow up and be mothers. Cooking was not an option, but a desire to see how much you could please the family with your skill of mixing ingredients and how delightful a meal you could make with what was left in the pantry.
Going out to restaurants were not an every day thing.
Oh sure I know about some of the hardships endured back then, but people rallied around one another. In hard times, people prayed and expected God to help, now so many almost DARE God to help.
I know we have so many good things in this time, but why can't we retain some of the good from the "good old days" ?
Not a single day goes by that someone does not write me, call me, stop by to visit us and all asking the same thing....how can they live "the simple life" like we do. We share some pointers that we have learned along the way, but so few are willing to let go of things, of stuff, of acquiring, of shopping and holding on to attitudes like the need to impress others . Perhaps the uncertainty of living differently frightens some folks.
For us, its not what we have given up, its all about what we have gained by stepping back, taking inventory of what is really important.
I can look back to our life in the fast lane, big house, nice cars, fancy clothes, the whole nine yards, and know that none of it brought happiness, the kind of happiness that gives you sound sleep and peace of heart.
Take a look back to a gentler time, take the good from then, mix it with the good things of now and throw off the need to impress or the need to sooth the restless spirit by shopping, spending, eating, drinking, doing any one thing to excess. Sit in the living room with your family, a friend, a neighbor without the TV on, talk, sing or play a game. Cook one meal from scratch without having to shop. Use what you have in your cupboards.
Walk someplace. Plant a garden. Knit a shawl and wear it. Bake some bread, but not in a bread machine. Knead it with the strength of your hands and arms. Skip the pans with no stick stuff on them and use some well seasoned cast iron. Put on a long skirt and apron...feel old fashioned for one afternoon.
Resist the temptation to buy that new gadget. Mash some potatoes with an old time masher. Hang up some laundry outside even if its on a line 2 ft long. Embrace silence, don't be afraid of it. Write a letter. If you have no one to write to, write to me : ) I love mail.
What I am saying is, if you want a simpler life, step back a bit. You don't have to live in the country to have the simple life. The simple life is in your attitude, your concept of things. Stop running after every new idea that comes your way, or every new product. Dump most of the catalogs that come your way. Less is best in so many areas of life......