As I look around my house, I realize I’ve got a lot of “stuff” and that this “stuff”, if I let it, could get out of hand and begin to look like a cluttered mess.
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Like the quote above, I realize that I need to be the Miranda Priestly (from The Devil Wears Prada) of my home and question everything that I want to bring into it. I want to live a simple life, but there is just so much stuff out there that I want.
Last year, I wrote a blog post about wanting to live simply. You can read that post here.
I recently read an article by mother-daughter bloggers, Lee Ann and Alexandrea Perez of One Ash Homestead. It was about how to live an Amish lifestyle without being Amish. It had some really great points that anyone, including myself, could apply to their lives.
Here’s what I took from their post that I could, and will definitely try to apply to my own life, so I can begin to live a simpler life.
1. Grown and preserve your own food.
This might be hard for some people because they don’t have the space to grow a garden. I read an interview with Jessica Alba in Better Homes & Gardens, and she has a vertical garden. She grows herbs, lettuces, and succulents in hanging pocket planters on her patio. I have the space to grow a small garden, and plan to buy a farmer’s almanac so I can plan out my garden. I want to incorporate a raised garden as well as a vertical garden (similar to Jessica Alba). My grandpa Lashlee had the greenest thumb and the best garden. He had everything from cucumbers, okra, grapes, carrots, mustard greens, and tomatoes. Maybe I inherited his green thumb. Guess we’ll find out this spring.
2. Learn crafts that you can sell.
For the past couple of years, I’ve made Christmas wreaths and gave them to family members as gifts. They are really simple and fairly inexpensive to make. And once I learn to preserve the food I grow, I could also sell that at my local farmer’s market or flea market.
3. Learn to sew.
I already have a sewing machine and know how to sew a straight line. But I’d love to be able to sew like I’m on Project Runway!
4. Bloom where you are planted.
I’m taking this to mean that you should take advantage of current circumstances. If you’re a nurse, then be the best darn nurse you can be. If you’re a teacher, then be the best darn teacher you can be. If you’re a salesperson, then sell the heck out of whatever it is you’re selling. Don’t worry about what someone else is doing. Be prosperous in your life, in your love, and in your career. Focusing on that will help you blossom!
5. Don’t get caught up in worldly things.
Keeping up with The Joneses can be rough, especially if they are caught up with having the best and greatest of worldly things. This one will be hard for me, because I love to have stuff and my tastes are often times expensive. Living a simple life means decluttering and simplifying your life.
6. Share your bounty with your family and friends.
This goes along with growing and preserving your own food. I’m sure that if my garden flourishes like I hope it does, I will have more than enough “bounty” to share with my friends and family.
7. Respect your Elders.
I was taught to respect my elders from an early age. Being raised in a Christian home instilled in me. And if you show your elders respect, I have always found that they, in turn, will show you respect.
8. Work hard, but remember to have fun.
My husband has had to remind me several times to have fun because sometimes I work so hard that I forget to have fun. I get so focused on the job that I forget to let my hair down and have fun. This year I decided that I was going to work hard, but have fun. Earlier this month, we went to see Chris Stapleton (headlined by Sam Lewis) at Cotton Eyed Joe in Knoxville. For me, this was a bit of a reward for all of our hard work during the past year. In March, we are going to see Elton John in Chattanooga. I’m going to work extra hard between now and then so I can enjoy myself at the concert (and not cringe at the thought of how much I spent on tickets to see Elton John).
9. Live for today and live for the moment!
Well, this is a given. Sometimes it’s nice to just live for today, live in the moment. Don’t worry about what happened yesterday or earlier this week. Don’t worry about what you’ve got to do tomorrow or next week. Live for today!
