Simplicity...

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein


Came back today from Indiana, went to Middlebury - home of the Essenhaus restaurant - a "family-style" restaurant and gift shop. It's been a tradition for my wife's family for ages to travel at least once a year to enjoy the fried chicken & roast beef dinner with all the fixings.

Middlebury is in "Amish country", not unusual to find buggies parked outside stores or traveling down roadways. My father-in-law and I had a little conversation about being a little envious with the Amish. Life seems so simple for the from the outside. No dealing with cars, television, newspapers, no stresses that us "English" deal with on a daily basis. We admired how they are able to keep outside culture from interfering or encroaching on their belief system.

But they have their pressures as well - dealing with crops, animals, farms, etc. Our lives aren't much different in the general sense, both have their share of problems and joys.

Interesting thing I read about the Amish, they do not hate modern conveniences. If it serves a purpose to benefit them in a positive way without causing their minds and bodies to become lazy, then they will adopt it. Many Amish-run dairy farms have electric generators to run pasteurizing and milking equipment. Some use tractors and other simple machines to help them in their daily work. But they shun things like telephones, automobiles and other "frivolous" things that serve no real purpose.

When it comes to things like lifestyle changes, simple changes can make a huge difference. Weighing food and cataloging calories are simple things that over time become habit. Walking stairs instead of using the elevator, we can all find little things to simplify our lives and make changes for the better.

Sometimes we even try to over-simplify which may not get us the answer we want. Reminds me of the story I read a long time ago about a semi-truck that had become stuck under and overpass. Many adults tried and tried to come up with a solution to release it. It took a 5 year old boy to solve the problem - let the air out of the tires to lower the truck & trailer.

Is there some clutter in your life? What can you do to simplify your life?

"Eliminate physical clutter. More importantly, eliminate spiritual clutter." - D.H. Mondfleur

Matty