For the last 8 years I've been learning to embrace my family's tradition of the simple life.
When you lose several loved ones in a short span of time it can bring a clarity unlike any other. You begin to realize what's really important, really fast.
We clutter out lives with overpacked schedules, distracting big screen TVs and tchotchke filled houses that give the illusion of importance and completeness. The superficial things we think are so important, really aren't.
For a few years loss was a continual theme...loss of loved ones, loss of a home, loss of pets and finally the loss of stuff. Each year this theme became so strong that I could no longer ignore what was staring me in the face - live with intention and cherish the essentials.
I thought this simple lesson had already been learned, but as more and more began to disappear from my life the superficial wall of "normalcy" was crumbling before my eyes piece by piece. It no longer held any meaning.
All of the loss helped to break the chains of a life that wasn't me. I got caught up in the hustle and bustle of surface level living and forgot to nurture the things that made me feel like me. When not much is left, you get pretty clear on what truly makes your life whole.
And so little by little I started to incorporate the things once held dear. Real fellowship instead of a quick meet and greet. Making instead of buying. Natural remedies instead of quick fixes. Farmers markets instead of grocery stores. Cooking at home instead of going out. Handmade instead of store-bought. Star gazing instead of TV watching.. Celebrating instead of the superficial.
This new found focus of "simple" drew closer the authenticity I had craved for so long. The healing it offered set in motion a chain of events that still amazes me to this day. I'll never go back to that surface level living of today's conventional lifestyle...this intentional gal is here to stay ;)
Along the way I've learned to be kinder to myself and to let things progress and grow in a natural way. Our lives have been in a constant state of flux which has made it challenging to keep up with the blog, but now that we're settling in our new hometown I'm so glad to be able to get back to it.
One of the new things I'm excited to share is that we're going tiny!! Tiny houses, that is. We have a plan to build a couple of tiny houses in the next year or so and I can't wait to share our vision, plans and progress along the way. More on that soon!
You'll also notice the site will begin to receive its long awaited facelift of organization. We're in the process of switching hosts and meshing our store with the blog, but we're taking the "little by little" approach for an easier transition. We'll have a posting schedule that will actually work and a system that will help you find things more easily on the site.
I'll also share the cornerstone of what we'll be writing about in the months ahead - the 8 principles of what simple means to us...again, more order to the process. We have a new book coming out based on those guiding principles and will be setting up a page where you can sign up to be notified upon its release.
As we begin this new and wonderful year of intentional living we'll be encouraging you to take small steps of change to make space for a life you really love. We'll be sharing our own projects, tips we've learned over these last 8 years and essentials that we can't live without. I hope you join us for the ride ;)
With Gratitude,
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