Simple things..simple living...

I have moments where I'm overwhelmed with peaceful feelings,happiness.Usually this is after I did the dishes and put them away then wiped the counter down and straightened things up a bit.I look around and see everything nice and tidy then I light a scented candle.If the blinds are closed I open them up or open the front door and let the morning sun shine in.



These are simple things that make me happy.A clean shiny tub and bathroom sink.A made bed and a swept floor an open window letting the breeze in and the smell of fresh air.When the weather is warm enough I open the sliding glass door that's in the kitchen that leads you out onto the deck.I love having this door open all day, the breeze blows in and it's nice to not feel cooped up.Even when it's raining I like to have it open it just makes me feel good.See it's simple things that matter.

When I was pregnant we were not sure about me staying home with the baby.Gordon,my husband,wanted me to stay but I wasn't as convinced.What would I do all day I said.I'll have every room painted three times by winter I said. I can't just sit and not do something,I'll go mad!

Then I'll never forget the night I was getting out of the shower he came up and told me that he didn't want me working and that basically was that.I said I'm not the stay at home kind,I need to work.I'm so used to being busy and running around how am I going to cope with not being busy like that any more.Then he said I think you will be alot happier if you were home.That word sang over and over in my head as he walked down the stairs...happier...Would I be happier I thought, sitting on the edge of the tub.I wouldn't come home complaining and I wouldn't come home with migraines cause I was so pissed that day from all the crap I had to deal with.People yelling at me and making me feel like a two year old.Customers being complete asses and no matter how well you treat them they still crap all over you.Deadlines and progress reports,financial statements and dealing with overhead and inventory costs and weekly meetings and going to school in different states for a week...on and on and on....

I then thought how would it be at home.I would wake up and get the baby from the crib.Go down stairs and feed him,lay him on the floor while he slept and watch some tv.Baby wakes up I feed him again,do some cuddling,then he falls asleep in my arms,I reach for the remote and watch tv.I do some cleaning,get the crockpot ready for dinner later.Grab the baby and a blanket and head out and sit in the shade under the trees and play and take pictures.Then when he gets bigger we can go to the park or go fishing or to the mall or whatever.He was right,staying home has got to be better than being at work,cause when I'm at work all I can think about is being home.



Being home has made me slow way down and thank goodness.All I cared about was making money and having money to buy things,things that just sat around and didn't do any good.I didn't see that there was happiness to be felt and little moments to be enjoyed.I came home and everyday and night it was the same thing and I hated it,but I just thought that,that was how life was for me.I had my moments of calm on the weekends but that's no way to live life a few minutes of happiness on the weekends and that's it...come on!

So now it's making the bed in the morning then opening the blinds and looking out the window to see how the day is.Then grabbing that sweet baby of mine and heading down stairs to feed him and play.Filling up my tea kettle and waiting for it's whistle,having a cup of tea on the front porch while sitting on the glider,making a batch of cookies or some muffins as the baby sleeps or making some rags for cleaning.Just little things that make me so happy now is the best medicine I could ever get.Who knew that just sitting on the couch with the widows open and the breeze coming in while I get comfy for a nap could fill me with such calm and peace.

I'm glad that I decided to have this life.It's not easy at times,pinching pennies for food and bills and having to go without.But I learned life isn't about "things" it's about moments and doing things that you learned to do like baking bread,cooking from scratch or putting in a garden so we could save money on groceries and learning how to sew so I can make my own pillows and blankets.Learning the basics of life that we have forgot how to do because we have other people doing it for us.That's what simple living is to me,learning to live again on my terms not someone else's and learning how to live a more down to earth and closer to the earth easy going way.Learning skills for basic day to day living and being able to count on myself if things get really hard.Yep, I have to say that I'm pretty darn happy.