I've been blogging now for six months about living simply and one thing that has become very apparent is that simple means different things to different people, as does rich and complex.
To a high powered executive with several children and a busy social calendar, my painting and gardening life in rural Scotland would appear the epitome of simple. To a subsistence farmer in rural China my life would seem rich and complex.
I think of my life as both simple and rich. Simple can be rich, in the sense of meaningful and fulfilling.
What say you?
Here are some of the small watercolours for sale..
Thinking of holidays...do you remember when we used to have one every seven days? It was called Sunday. What a good idea that was. I wonder if I could reintroduce it into my simpler life?
I've written notes to myself that sit around the house:
Is there a simpler way to do this?
If I do this now, will it simplify my life?
(In my purse) If I buy this will it simplify my life?
If I get rid of this will it simplify my life?
I think it is working....well, it did today.
Criteria for me for a simple holiday:
Ideally it doesn't involve airports and ungodly hours
The place I rest my head should be attractive, or at the very least clean and simple. I don't like to pay for lots of facilities I won't use!
I don't want to eat with strangers, and I hate making conversation at breakfast (am not very sociable at the best of times).
It has to be different enough from home to be stimulating. A new landscape to explore does it for me.
I have to come back with more energy than when I left.
The weather's not that important, which is just as well as all the above requirements boil down to self catering in the UK!
Log fire is a must.
What's your ideal simple holiday? Do share....
This is in Aberdeen Art Gallery. It is called 'Legroom Hanging' and is by Freddie Robins.
The sign beside it reads 'This piece...is one of two important textile acquisitions made during the 1990's which demonstrate makers' interests in using their work to explore various ideas about the body, life and death.' Really? - don't you think Freddie was just having a great giggle as he carried on knitting the arms right down to the toes (or the toes up to the shoulders)? Sometimes art galleries just take themselves too seriously....
Trying to describe to a friend who can't watch You Tube why I am so impressed with Dr David Servan-Schreiber's vision of a more healthful life (see 7 Sept), the word evangelical came up, and I realised that one of the reasons I am willing to listen to what this man has to say is that he doesn't sound evangelical. He comes across as an intelligent, educated man, talking good sense, and as someone well qualified to give the up to date information which he believes everyone should know.
So, in case I'm beginning to sound evangelical myself - I won't mention it again (well, if you promise to have a look that is!) Thanks Liz.
Now I'm simply going off for a holiday. (Must do a posting on simple holidays....soon, but not today! I'm too tired. Don't you find that there is an awful to do before you can go away?)
I've not posted under Simply Eat for a long time - perhaps because I feel quite happy about my eating habits on the whole. But they are about to undergo a bit of a change since I came across the work of David Servan-Schreiber author of Anticancer: A New Way of Life.
Take a look at the 7 minute clip on You Tube and see if you don't also want to rethink the way you eat, and the way your family eat........he is very persuasive. Google You Tube - anticancer_ a new way of life
I like the phrase he uses about what you choose to eat: 'Nourish the life in you'.
Love the music!
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