The Beauty And Comfort Of Simplicity

In such a fast-paced, hustle and bustle world such as this, it is easy to become lost in the abyss of multimedia, entertainment, and work. Each minute of our day is planned and taken, predetermined without much chance or spontaneity contained within it. This makes sense to us and it is logical, because we structure our lives in ways we understand, and so a life without any surprises gives us a certain level of comfort and security in such a complicated world. However, the chaotic and supersonic speed at which everything moves forces us to capitulate and correlate with it, and before we know it, our lives are moving too fast, or at least too fast to enjoy the individual moments.

When was the last time you took a walk? When was the last time you went fishing? Climbing? Hiking? Biking? Swimming? Camping? I would venture to say that most of us would answer these questions only after struggling to slow down and remember, which in itself answers the question. Many of us have trapped ourselves in a cage of commitments and responsibilities, of anxieties and fears. We are our own worst enemy, and we have convinced ourselves that we must keep our nose to the grindstone without looking up, or without enjoying our life - that the enjoyment will come only after we've retired. If you ask your average retiree what their greatest regret is, most will tell you that they didn't take the time to enjoy the "little moments" while they were younger.

We can slow down, we can recalibrate our lives, and we can be happy again. We can choose to work in order to live, instead of live in order to work. We can choose to live in the present moment we are in, instead of worrying about future problems that haven't even occurred yet or regretting past mistakes we cannot change. We can choose to appreciate the loving and beautiful people and things around us, instead of ignoring them or taking them for granted so we can make our schedule "work". We can prioritize what is important to us, and put our attention on that - instead of losing ourselves and what meant so much to us. In short, we need to stop, close our eyes, take a deep breath, and decide to live again :-)