Stuff. Clutter. Junk. It's so easy to accumulate. In my apartment, it seems as if it can go from spotless and spic and span to a jumble of belongings faster than I can think of 5 synonyms for the word stuff. Returning from grocery stopping. Coming home after work or school. Going shopping. Even the simplest return home seems to come with baggage. Living like this drives me crazy. I can't find what I need. I don't know where anything is. My stomach writhes and twists with the most limber of snakes. I can't take it. How do you fix it? Easily- Pick up. Clean out. Reduce.
Life has the same tendencies. Friends. Work. School. Opportunities. Exercise. Necessities. Supplementaries. Commitments. Spontaneity. Quickly, it's full and there isn't a moment to breathe. It's a struggle, as if I'm swimming and treading water with every ounce of energy I can muster, just to find that my nose keeps slipping under. I've got to reduce. I've got to clean out. I've got to simplify. But how? These intangible things are so much harder to sift through than the tangible junk I dispose of daily.
As I long for simplicity, I think about necessity. In the words of John Mayer: "Friends? Check. Money? Check. Well-slept? Check. Opposite sex? Check. Guitar? Check. Microphone? Check. Messages waiting for me when I come home? Check." Although my list looks different (God? Food? Shelter? Water? Love?), the concept fascinates me. How is it that one narrows down to the necessities without micromanaging? And while the other things, the wants, are so enticing?
I think in our culture, we crave drama and excitement instead of just being. Just saying what needs to be said. How much easier, more real, would life be if we were more like glass than an onion? If we were more transparent- talking and being real, genuine, rather than having layers, being mysterious, or having to read between the lines. Would this level of simplicity be real, or would it be boring?
2 weeks ago, my computer caught a virus. It has miraculously fixed itself, and although I am grateful, life felt easier without the distraction. It helped me to realize that sometimes, complication needs to be like tensel on a Christmas tree. A little looks lovely and brings a sparkle, but too much looks gaudy.
Working on full presence. Craving simplicity.
Oh, friend. You write so well! I loved the Christmas tree analogy (of course, ha). I find this to be one of the hardest things in life--getting rid of those intangible things. Naturally, we want to take advantage of as many opportunities and as many relationships as possible. We've been blessed with life and health, and it almost seems like a waste to not live to the fullest. But sometimes our definition of "full" might actually be better described as "over-flowing." Finding that balance is a task in and of itself. But the important thing is to at least recognize this dilemma (as you so deftly worded above). As long as we're aware of it, we're more prepared to tackle it head-on and discover our own limits. Thanks for the post!
ReplyDelete