Simply Plenty - how it hit me, months later...

Sometimes, inspiration hits months or years before you even realize what you needed! I love those lightbulb moments- I have even been known to smile a half-smile and nod as I catch on.

 For me, it occurred with this blog name. I knew I needed to name my blog Simply Plenty, and I just knew I wanted to make life simpler. Well, over the course of the past few months, I have sold that redone vintage trailer (for a profit- yeehaw), gotten rid of over half my houses "guts" and sold a motorhome (for a loss- gotta love depreciation)!  Woohoo! I have fallen in love with the idea of a "Simple life"- not strict minimalism, but my version of it. :) I get funny looks and shocked comments when I talk about what I'm doing or how the garage sale pile is filling a room now, but how it feels inside is amazing!  I have had some serious inspiration from some of my favorite bloggers: Carmella, the Minimalists, Joshua Becker, Leo Babauta, Meg Wolfe, and Francine Jay. I love how I pick up bits and pieces of what fits me and mine with each read. I have read several books from these people (it's been so long, with the busy life of being a mama, since I've read, and it was good to get back in the swing) and enjoy getting closer to what my dream is...

One thing that each author discusses is how amazingly free it feels to live simply. I am here to say that I whole-heartedly agree with that!  Not only does it feel more free, life feels lighter!  Not as heavy, not as burdened. My hubby made a comment tonight that the air smells better the past few days. He then stopped and said he wasn't sure if it really did, or if it was just because he felt "lighter"!  I loved it! 

Things are less crazy, and when you live in a "zoo", that is nice. Things seem a bit more peaceful- especially when the electronics are hidden ;). And visiting and sharing our days with each other flow easier. It's a wonderful thing to be best friends with your family- we learn the most from them, so why not be each other's best cheerleaders too? Friends have disagreements, we're not all alike, but we can still be best friends! That's the whole point. That's what our goal is- to lift one another and find pure happiness together, as a family. And it is coming by being simple. 

Each day is a process- some days I am too tired to empty stuff- it's coming bit by bit though. And I'll be having the mother of all garage sales in the next few weeks as a celebration :)! This way of living may not work for everyone, but it is working for me. In hindsight, my tiny little hair-brained idea of living more simply - and that being plenty- blossomed into what it was intended to be all along. An even more wonderful thing- A more full, more complete, and more happy life... all because of LESS! It makes me smile just to say it!

Burn

I am not much of a fan of exercise, but I make myself do it. I am much more disciplined with the way I eat to stay healthy. That was until last summer. I got the pink cruiser my hubby got me off the hangers. It has 21 speeds, the only way it works in our hilly area. And I got moving on it, pulling my littlest little in the trailing trailer. I realized about Day 2 that I LOVED biking!!  There is a massive trail system near our home, and I utilize that to the fullest! I rode each day until the snow hit this winter. I have been doing indoor exercises the past two months, just counting the days til I could ride again. The kids have been begging to go too, but when there is snow all over, it doesn't work too well :). Until today that is!!

I was thrilled that it was warm enough (40 degrees is my limit, I don't have heavy duty winter biking gear) and that it was sunny to boot. The snow was off the paths, so off I went. 

It was pure joy!  The wind in my face, the calm and quiet, and the best part, the BURN in my legs. I L-O-V-E the burn!  It let's me know that my pushing and pedaling are doing something. When you are pulling yourself and another 70 pound trailer with child, it can give you some pretty decent burn- and I eat it up!  I could so get into this biking thing. It doesn't even feel like exercising, just FUN with the added bonus! Sign me up! There is no snow in the forecast for a few days, so I am going to take advantage and ride my little heart out :)  Here I come!  Then if snow hits again, I will be able to hold myself off til Spring. Until then, I will enjoy every minute of the ride!

Look Up

It's a dream of mine to someday live in a place that I can look up and see the stars. 

Yes, I can see seem stars where I live now. It's not a "big city" by any means, but it's city enough to not have tons of stars visible. For some reason our dinner conversation revolved around stars tonight, and it got me thinking. I recalled a family camping trip a few years back, out in the boonies, where dear hubby woke us all up to come outside and gaze at the stars. "Seeing" the stars could never describe the view before my eyes, it was definitely "gazing"!!  Stars is an understatement- as far and as deep as you could fathom, there were stars. It felt like you could reach up and touch them. Just incredible- the Milky Way was right there, soaring through the sky, as clear as day! I mentioned at dinner tonight, that that was the first time I could recall seeing that many stars. Dear hubby looked shocked and asked, "Didn't you see that many growing up?!" 

Well, I grew up in a fairly small town in the deep South, and there were not tons of lights around. I can recall summer evenings chasing fireflies, and playing family baseball until it got too dark to see the ball. I can remember talking to the Man in the Moon- I love the night sky, just plain and simple, so yes, the Man in the Moon and I are on a first name basis. So I really thought about my hubby's question. And I thought hard...

I finally had to respond, "I guess I didn't look up". It jerked my heart a bit to admit that I didn't remember if there were crazy awesome numbers of stars in the sky where I grew up. Then I thought about all the other things I didn't want to miss if I didn't look UP, or AROUND, or DOWN, or ANYWHERE! I don't ever want to look back and think that I just didn't look. I want to be here. aware. right now. I want to soak it all in, and breathe it to my core. I want to be part of life, of everyday, of living. 

Maybe someday I will have that little spot where I can look up and see the heavens opened up with stars each night, or maybe I will just have to dream. But either way, I will make sure I am looking every day! 

Glad to be... a nobody!

It seems funny to say, but I am sure glad that I am a "nobody". At least, a nobody as the world views it. I am very most definitely a SOMEBODY to those who matter most in life- my sweet family and friends and those around me for whom I try to make a difference. But here's why I am glad I am a nobody...

I can walk in a grocery store and just stand and listen to the hum of the lights and the soft talk of the customers. I can shop and enjoy reading labels and gathering produce without worry or bother.

I can go to a deserted beach on the Oregon coast and have it stay deserted while we are there- running and playing in the freezing ocean, gathering sea shells and finding sea creatures in the tide pools. I can feel peace and tranquility without interruption.

I can put on my grubbies and work on restoring my second tiny trailer- this one is a 10' 1965 Travelier. It is the cutest trailer ever, can sleep 6, and is in impeccable shape inside. Not too much ripping out to be done, but when I do, I don't have to worry about who is watching and what they are thinking, cause I'm just plain ole me!

I don't mind being what the world views as unimportant because I am particularly important and vital to those I care for, those I love, and those whose lives I touch. Being right where I am, doing the small things I do, I make a difference. A difference that will matter long after the six o'clock news fades, long after the rock stars get old, and long after the mansions crumble. I am not perfect by any stretch of imagination, but I am me, and that is what I do best! I want to make life better for those around me and try to become a better person in the process. If I can do that, I will accomplish my goal. So I guess being a nobody is not too bad after all :).