Resolve: Rejoice in Simplicity

Have you ever sat and watched the sun set?

http://shareyourwallpapers.com/nature/sunset/show/24306/

I have. 

One of the best summers of my life, I spent in Phoenix, doing one of the worst jobs I have ever had.  The best part was every evening at sunset I would take a break sit on the curb and drink in nature’s beauty.

Have you ever sat under a starry sky?

http://ihaveavoicetoo.com/127-the-night-sky/

I have.  

On warm summer nights, my brothers and I would grab our sleeping bags and sleep under the starry sky.  We woke the next morning to the warm summer morning sun in our faces.

Have you sat on a quiet beach near the ocean?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pacific_Ocean_At_Acapulco_1.jpg

I have.  

I can vividly remember sitting on a log near the waves of the Pacific, as a 17 year breathing the salty fresh air and feeling the cool spray of the ocean on my face, digging my toes into the cold sand and being wonderfully present in the moment.

Have you looked into the eyes of your true love? Did you know that your love would last for eternity?

I have. 

It's unparalleled

Have you ever experienced this moment?

I have. 

I’ve seen an angel.  Held her in my arms.  We went from a couple, to a family.  There is real magic in this memory.

Have you felt a little life kick around in your belly and marveled at your divine capacity to nurture human life?

I have. 

I love that Heavenly Father has given me the chance to do it twice.  What a blessing!

Why am I rehashing all these moments in yet another overly sappy blog post?  All these magical moments have something in common…

Simplicity.

None of these gems cost a penny. Oscar Wilde once said, 

“Simplicity is beauty and beauty is simplicity, nothing more and nothings less.”

I’ve been living out this “trial” of our finances for the last couple of years, waiting for the day when education and preparation pay off.  All the while, I have forgotten to take joy in the simplicity of my life the way it is right NOW. 

It doesn’t take a penny to put on music and dance around like rock-stars.  I will cherish that memory more than 1,000 trips to Disneyland.  It’s simplistic beauty, the blossoming of family love and little personality.

There really is true beauty in simplicity.  Being “poor” just gives us an opportunity to revel in that simplicity.  We get to explore the depths of our creativity and we get to marvel at EVERYTHING the world has to offer.

I recently stumbled across a blog (http://andthenwesaved.com/about-the-spending-fast/) where the author decided to go on a "spending fast" so she could pay off debt.  She eliminated ALL spending that wasn't essential to her survival (including make-up....brave gal!) She eliminated all of her debt in 15 months while making only $33,000 a year.

We’re already on somewhat of a spending fast, so that I can stay at home with our little girl.  But it felt involuntary, we felt sorry for ourselves every time we had to say, “sorry, we can’t afford it.”  And to be totally honest, we haven’t been great at saying “No.”  And we have a LONG list of "wants' we jokingly refer to as "the list".

Guess what?  I’m DONE feeling sorry for us, it’s miserable.  I resolve this year to live more simply, to want less and be happier. 

How will we do this? We aren’t going to eat out more than a handful of times.  We’re not traveling even though we could probably scrap up the money to do so.  The money can be put to better use. And we'll designate a purpose for all the dollars that come into our bank account.  If a "want" arises that can't be covered by our budget we'll just say matter of factly (without feeling sorry for ourselves) there is no money for that, what should we do instead?

By the end, I hope to have shaken that monkey (called student debt) off our back and gathered hundreds of memories of starry nights, vivid sunsets, little giggles, rock-star performances, $30 Christmases, handmade gifts and all sorts of treasures of the like. 

If by this time next year we aren’t making any more money than we are today, I hope that I have perfected the art of simplicity to a point where i'm not bothered by that fact.

“I have just 3 things to teach: 

-simplicity, 

-patience, 

-compassion.  

These three are your greatest treasures.” 

– Lao Tzu

By the end of this, I hope to have cultivated all 3 of Lao Tzu's treasures.  And cultivate them with grace, not while kicking and screaming. I’m really looking forward to 2013!