365 Days Of Love. Day 10

For a few years now, I've been grappling with the notion of simplifying my life. My 6 moves in 7 years have made it difficult for me to acquire a lot of stuff, but I still find my life to be too elaborate, too luxurious.

This reality felt most pressing when I visited Haiti for the second time. Naturally, the poverty most Haitians are forced to live in coupled with their spirited demeanor would make anyone feel a life of even remote materialism is too much. The second time in Haiti felt different for me, though. The need for simplification felt far more pressing than it ever had before.

Shortly after returning from Haiti, I started eating a plant based diet. My reasoning had nothing to do with weight loss or animal rights. Instead, it was rooted in the desire to eat like a truly poor person, to be more simple. However, as I've moved towards simplicity in this one area of my life, I've found three hundred plus other areas that are far from simple. This new reality has left me critical of my current life and frustrated with my attachment to things like my smart phone or trail mix from the gas station.

Recently, I've reconnected with an old friend, of sorts. Truthfully, she is the mom of someone I went to middle school and high school with. She stumbled across my blog, left a comment, and I thanked her via Facebook. That simple transaction was a catalyst for a conversation between the two of us. She shared stories of her past that are similar to my current story, I shared passions and frustrations, which she responded to with wisdom.

As we traded messages, I truly reflected on who this woman was. I probably haven't been in her physical presence more than 30 times in my life, even that may be a generous estimate. Regardless, there are vivid images of this woman's smile embedded in my mind. Even now as my fingertips dance across the keyboard, I can hear her chipper voice, whispering sweet words of encouragement. Every memory I have of this woman is one of innate joy. Whether it was passing her at my dance recital or seeing her at a hockey game, this woman radiates joy. We've had a few simple interactions, but, in essence, they have been grand. Simple, but joy-filled.

Being simple is simply loving, loving with a joyful spirit. Inspiration drawn from a new old friend, in my efforts to simplify my life, I'm going to smile more, sing encouragement. I'm going to seek joy.

Simply love.