My brother and sister-in-law came over for the weekend and brought their wonderfully sweet and adorable son. My sister-in-law also brought over a box of books for my daughters that she had read as a girl and when I spied the last 3 books in the Anne of Green Gables series, I snatched them up immediately. I read the first 3 books as a girl, but never read the last 3.
The next day we went to church and the pastor, who said he could't believe he was going to do this because he disliked it when other pastors did this, talked about the way things used to be. Days when moms stayed home, families got together for Sunday Dinner, kids respected adults, children took care of their aging parents, and other things that some attribute to the "simple life". Food for thought, if you care to keep an open mind. (Open mind does not mean you agree nor does it always mean that what you are considering must be something new or anti-status quo, but that's another post.)
I came home and started reading Anne of Windy Poplars and I was whisked away to a land of a young lady who didn't know anything of Little League, American Idol, or working inside AND outside the home. While I disagree with the notion that anything from the past must be better, I can't help but think, as I often do, about what the simple life is and if it's something I want to have.
This is where you come in. What comes to your mind when you hear someone talk about simple living? What images are flashing in your head? Is it attainable? Is it desirable? Is it just a notion we find appealing, but is not in fact reality? (Why is my mouse not working right now?) (There!)
Your thoughts...
My goal is simpler living. We declutter, watch our money, spend less time driving kids to places and more time as a family. We both work, but we both stop work around 2:30 when the kids -well teens now, get home from school. I am learning to cook more from scratch more for health reasons than to simplify. That makes things more, not less complicated. But, I don't sew, darn, or have chickens. My goal is more time for family, volunteering and time with friends.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you and your husband do that allows you to be off work at 2:30? Do you go in early?
ReplyDeleteI just wrote an article about this. I do think I would have loved to live the "Little House on the Prairie" kind of life. Here are my 2 cents:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nycmomsblog.com/2009/12/blackberry-or-little-house-on-the-prairie.html
Best,
Dagmar
Dagmar's momsense
http://DagmarBleasdale.com