Live, Laugh, Love

"Live Simply.  Laugh Often.  Love Always"           Author Unknown

This is one of those Life recipes that keeps cropping up that sticks with me.

I guess I am on the right road.  Well probably only a path that one day might join that road.   My lifestyle is pretty simple .. though I wish it could be moreso at times.  Living on a boat one learns to keep it simple. I have a very small wardrobe .. in fact speaking of wardrobes, I have friends with walk in closets bigger than my whole home.  We have some mod-cons .. like the laptop and wireless tv ... but these are things I could live without.  I don't have a microwave, washing machine, kitchen gadgets or a hairdryer (working on that one for my son for Christmas since he's more into his hair than I am).

What really is simple living? 
It sounds like it should be easier .. but it isn't always.  I miss living in a little cottage and being able to grow my own vegetables.  Growing your own veggies is thought of as "simple living" .. but it's actually hard work! Living on a boat is thought of as "simple living" .. but dang again .. it is hard work.  I have been made more aware of the challenges of my life as a liveaboard this past week while housesitting for a friend.  Flushing a toilet and it does it itself .. on a boat you have to push and hold buttons while waiting for water intake, etc.  Putting away the groceries ... in the house things just got plunked onto shelves in the fridge.  On my boat I have one of those drop down cupboard style fridges - which is just a big empty box where everything piles on top of each other and don't spill anything .. you have to take everything out and hang upside down to reach the bottom to clean up the spill. 

Simple lifestyles are often made out of necessity, not choice for most of the world.  To have the luxury of choosing your lifestyle is a fortunate thing.  For most of the world, living in a simple dwelling without the contraptions and gadgets of the Western world is all they have known .. but it doesn't in any way make their life simpler.  In fact, having to be self sufficient - grow and hunt for ones own food, build one's own shelter, make your own clothing, find your own sources of water, public transportation is your own two feet ...  these are not simple tasks.

So .. when someone says they live a simple lifestyle  - as I often quantify my life - put it in context because it is probably just a statement of relativity.  My simple life is in comparison to the average person in my country.   I can in no way compare my lifestyle as simple when I compare it to the families in rural Asia.  
I make choices that stem from necessity or lack of affluence.  I still have a car, a cell phone, a computer, etc .. so can this still be considered Living Simple? 

Living Simple is being able to appreciate those things for which we do not have to pay - the sunsets, our talents, relationships.

Find something simple to appreciate in your life .... it might be as simple as appreciating the fact that you have running water and can take a hot shower.  It's when we appreciate these every day occurances that we are learning the art of Living Simply. 

Learning to appreciate the every day is what chocolate pudding moments is all about.

Wishing you some simple CPM today. 

We'll chat about Laughing and Loving another time.  I have to go appreciate the running water now and make myself a cup of tea.

x sun