Healing Hamilton

Assisting you on your path to physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being.


Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The Simple Life

"The simple life is simply not enough.
We have appearances we must keep up."   
 lyrics from "Poor Boy"by Supertramp

 This weeks GBE2 prompt is "Simplicity". 

When we get nostalgic we like to think about the past, about those simpler times when the world moved a little slower,  things were a little less complicated.  And we tend to get nostalgic when we feel like we have no choice but to go roaring along at full speed.    Humans weren't built for speed - at least not the kind of speed we need these days.  Our muscles are designed for old fashioned physical speed.  They get stronger and faster with repetitive use, pushing them to their limits only enhances their performance.  But physical speed is not what we need in modern times.  We need psychological speed - to multi-task and prioritize and time-manage our lives.  But our neurological circuits are not designed for this type of speed.  Instead of getting stronger with repetitive use they wear out, slow down and eventually overload.


It may seem an impossible task to simplify our lives - so many things feel like they're outside of our control.  But we can make changes.  Teeny changes that don't take much effort but can add up like compound interest to make a simpler life, a simpler day, or even just a simpler hour or two.   For me, silence is simplicity.  I don't have a lot of control over the sounds in my life, but I can control the sounds  in my car.  So I drive in silence.  It's not much, just 20 minutes to work each day and 20 minutes home again.  But it's 40 minutes of simplicity I wouldn't find any other way.

What small thing can you do to put a little simplicity back in your life?

16 comments:

  1. Simplifying life is so worthwhile. Your post let me take in a nice slow breath and enjoy the moment of reading.

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    1. So glad I could add a little simplicity to your day. :)

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  2. I have had a very similar talk with my daughter recently. She suffered a TIA (mini stroke)in January and I was hoping it would slow her down enough to not only enjoy her life, but also to preserve her life. She is only 43 and has a 10 and a 12 year old daughter. I love what you say here and I hope you live this way. ♥

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    1. I hope your daughter recovers fully and maybe finds a helpful lesson or two in that situation.

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  3. oh, i like that, laurie. 20 minutes of silence each way... i keep my windows up (music on though).. to help block out the traffic noise.... i thrive in silence .. i will turn off the music next time...

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  4. Always a good idea to give way to inner silence. I hadn't done this before, until recently and have found it's a marvelous place to recharge and create.. and you don't even realize you are doing it.

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    1. ..and it's much easier to find inner silence when there's a bit of outer silence.

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    1. When it comes to fuss, less is always better. And thanks.

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  6. Silence is always nice. Simple is loads better than chaos. Great post!

    Kathy
    http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com

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    1. Agreed! I think silence always seems more luxurious when it follows chaos.

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  7. I like a little silence every day, too. And human connection--for me, nurturing bonds with those closest to me has a wonderful way of erasing the stress that comes with some of the full-speed-ahead parts of my life.

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    1. Great point! One to one personal time with people we care about is a great stress reliever. Especially if it includes a glass of wine. :O

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  8. Nice to meet you. Good luck with A-Z. I look forward to your posts.

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    1. Thanks for following me and good luck to you as well on the A-Z challenge.

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