Simplicity is the absence of luxury or showiness and plainness according to the American Heritage College Dictionary. Yet every time I take a photo to demonstrate the simplicity of something, I am surprised by the complexity of my subject. Such was the case with this "simple" blade of wild grass which I photographed near my mailbox. The setting sun illuminated the golden stalk as it made its way boldly through a crack in the pavement. After loading the picture into my computer I was struck by the detail of the individual strands anchored into the stalk which stood out so clearly against the dark roadway I was tempted to count them!
We often hear the home-show gurus tell us to simplify our lives; to rid ourselves of clutter and unnecessary belongings which overtake the space we live in. But the process of simplifying is as complex as the strands on a blade of grass. My biggest fear when cleansing my world of clutter is that I will throw something out because it has no meaning at present but might become significant when I no longer have it! Simplifying my life should not be so stressful!
However as I gaze at the beauty in this single blade of grass I am reminded that simplicity is not so much a process as it is a state of being. A simplified life is confidence in knowing that one's basic needs have been met and that a roof over one's head, a bowl of soup on the table and a loving family is really all you need in life. You do not have to pursue what someone else determines as success. You do not have to possess what someone else determines is fashionable or desirable. Nature displays that the frenzied striving for material things such as these is counter-productive. If the flowers bloom in the garden and the birds are able to forage for food, then I can live in a simplified manner such as they do if I set my mind to it. This will truly release me to enjoy what some call "the simple pleasures" in life.
While simplicity may remove what is in excess in my life, it does not remove the essence of it. It is like the blade of grass which appears to be simply a stalk, a few feathery strands and some seeds but becomes far more than that when the sunlight shines through it and my camera snaps a shot. In the end I must develop the eyes to see it and then to continue to live it and that is hardly simple at all!
We often hear the home-show gurus tell us to simplify our lives; to rid ourselves of clutter and unnecessary belongings which overtake the space we live in. But the process of simplifying is as complex as the strands on a blade of grass. My biggest fear when cleansing my world of clutter is that I will throw something out because it has no meaning at present but might become significant when I no longer have it! Simplifying my life should not be so stressful!
However as I gaze at the beauty in this single blade of grass I am reminded that simplicity is not so much a process as it is a state of being. A simplified life is confidence in knowing that one's basic needs have been met and that a roof over one's head, a bowl of soup on the table and a loving family is really all you need in life. You do not have to pursue what someone else determines as success. You do not have to possess what someone else determines is fashionable or desirable. Nature displays that the frenzied striving for material things such as these is counter-productive. If the flowers bloom in the garden and the birds are able to forage for food, then I can live in a simplified manner such as they do if I set my mind to it. This will truly release me to enjoy what some call "the simple pleasures" in life.
While simplicity may remove what is in excess in my life, it does not remove the essence of it. It is like the blade of grass which appears to be simply a stalk, a few feathery strands and some seeds but becomes far more than that when the sunlight shines through it and my camera snaps a shot. In the end I must develop the eyes to see it and then to continue to live it and that is hardly simple at all!
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