Chill Out and Live

Hallelujah, cool weather is upon us! Being an allergy-ridden sort, I deal with the irritating condition all year long but this time of year when you can draw back the drapes and open the windows, I do it in spite of the hoovering allergens floating around waiting to get me. Nothing inspires and excites me like a chilly morning. We left the windows open overnight, so it was delightfully nippy. My energy level soars on these morning and I want to dance and frolic about. However, I have a deadline for finishing the book I'm working on, so all chilly morning frolicking must wait. My best brain time is early mornings.

So, you may be asking, what does any of this have to do with living a simple life? It is, I believe, a core element of simple living. It is conservation at its best. As I mentioned, my best brain time is early mornings. Writing requires a lot from a brain, making it wise to use my best brain time for that purpose. I would be cheating my work, myself and my readers if I committed words to paper (or computer screen) when I was lagging mentally. The creative process excites and inspires me, though there is no getting around the fact that I am often left semi-brain dead after a long writing session.

Fortunately for me, little brain power is required of me to wash and hang out a load of laundry. Same with cleaning the kitchen, or dusting and vacuuming (dang allergens, again). These are all necessary and important tasks, but they do not drain me mentally as does the writing. Using wisdom, we relieve unnecessary stress where we can. It is wise to save the best brain time for that which requires the most brain power. Living a simple life means we control our environment rather than it controlling and dictating to us.

I have been guilty of adding stress where it was not necessary by including tasks on my To-Do lists that should not have hit my priority radar. By adjusting my attitude and mindset, I am learning to objectively look at the "Big Picture" and see if the things I'm stressing over really make a difference or not. If they do not, I drop them like a hot potato. This has not been an easy transition for a detail person, let me assure you. However, I find I am enjoying life more now that I have determined to live a simple life.

For example, I've spoken often of our ongoing state of semi-construction in our home. For years now I have avoided having guest over because I wanted things to be finished first. All I've accomplished with that thinking is cheating myself out of the pleasure of having friends over. My real friends do not care if my house is ever finished. They are not coming over to inspect or critique our home, they are coming over for friendship and fellowship. I made the choices that caused me to lose out on entertaining, to fret over things not done instead of simply enjoying life in the here and now. How goofy is that? No more, People! I have determined to live life each day to its fullest regardless of circumstances and to remove all the self-imposed restrictions that hindered that goal.

Today, look for one attitude or restriction you've put on your life that hinders your moving forward with living a simple life. As for me and my house, we're going to live a rewarding, enriched simple life on Hacienda Hill. Morning, World, here we come!