Then, one day it goes all spring and I sally across the lawn with the market basket on my arm, full of those clean, white sheets. They hung there all day, playing with the wind, becoming whiter in the sun, infusing with air so fresh the fragrance of it lasted all night.
Simplicity like this reminds me why I love this life.
When simplicity calls, sometimes you wonder just how to get there from here. Sometimes the connection between the dots seems the most difficult part.
I get that. Often my dots don't connect all that well. But I know that it's the small choices that add up to larger life. When you make small choice after small choice, consistantly tracking with your values, you may look back and see a lovely chain of connected dots.
So, that shirt that doesn't fit anymore? Instead of putting it back in the drawer after wash day, I put it in the donation box. Those games that we've outgrown or lost interest in? Let's give them away to the younger set.
Hmm. Several feet need shoes this spring? Let's choose the best quality and style we can afford. Let's choose versatility that can be both dressy and casual. And to the best of our ability, let's support those companies who have ethics at their core.
Need to purchase something for your home? Do you really need to purchase something for your home. Sometimes it's a yes, for sure. But, most times it's we can do without for now. Most times it's let's see what we already have, mix that with a little inspiration, and appreciate what happens. Most times it's boatloads of patience and teaspoons of cash. Take that to the thrift store and spy that amazing basket for just $3.
When it is time to replace, go for the solid, the well-made, the authentic. A boar's hair broom will last the rest of your life. Solid wood furniture - even simple wooden crates (not plastic!), will have years of uses in one way or another. Well-made upholstered goods will cradle you instead of repel you (our thrifted Avery Boardman sofa cost $50, the painter's drop cloth & notions for the slipcover, less than $200). And a scrap of gorgeous fabric will go a long way as a pillow cover (Ebay, you're the best).
There are wild flowers, grasses, budding branches right outside your door (look around, I'll bet you've got some, too), and they're often so much better than the grocery store fare. Sometimes, all you have to do is ask. Bring them in, put them in an empty jar if that's all you've got, and enjoy the beauty. If your empty jar seems lack luster to you, take a square of brown paper (the very brown paper that you didn't toss from the last box that arrived in the mail), set the jar in the middle of it, draw the paper up to the jar's neck, and tie it with a bit of twine, ribbon, yarn, or string. Your free flowers will look for all the world like you had boatloads of cash and teaspoons of patience.
Here's to a fresh week, with a fresh view of simplicity, friends!
Have you been looking for a tastefully designed, small house plan that lives large? You may just find what you've been seeking in the newly-released Shelter Collection - four small floor plans designed for gracious living in 900-1400 square feet, the first & second just recently released, the third, and fourth coming soon. Peruse the collection here.
