Enjoying the simple life

By Nina Steele

What makes you happy? I suppose that as we learn to know ourselves, we come to discover what truly makes us happy and a great deal of that relates to our values. I now realise how much I enjoy the simple things in life. For example, I love cooking and my kitchen has become a sort of sanctuary where I enjoy spending time. It opens straight into the garden, that is part of its appeal. I love nothing more than putting a meal together while taking in the view from the garden.

When we bought the house the whole place was in desperate need of a makeover and my husband who is very good at DIY was more than happy to take it on and he has done a great job I must say. There is still a bit left to do including the kitchen. The garden too was in a desperate state and that was my little project to sort out and I did! I planted many shrubs and they are growing beautifully giving the garden a lush look that was missing before. We spend a great deal of our time in the garden including eating our meals and we find the whole experience very enjoyable.

Other simple things we enjoy doing is walking in the countryside. It is not only good as a form of exercise, but it also allows us to feel at one with nature. There are so many activities out there that one can enjoy without the need to spend a great deal of money. Our holidays are mostly walking holidays across the UK or abroad. As I am sure you have not failed to notice, exercise is a great part of our life. I did have a gym membership once, but like many people, I ended up not using it and so I now exercise in-house while my husband is a keen cyclist. The richness of our life is more to do with enjoying the simple things than splashing out on expensive activities and items.

Getting to the stage where one starts enjoying the simple things in life often takes some soul searching. The obvious reason why that is the case is because we live in a culture dominated by consumerism. You need to be confident enough in your own skin to consciously choose not to follow the majority of society by succumbing to mindless consumption. After all, our economy is based on people buying more. We are even urged to go out and spend in order to keep the economy going! No wonder so many people are drowning in debt!

Anyway, back to enjoying the simple things in life. One thing that I have noticed is that simplicity is also a healing process. Because you are no longer chasing the latest trend or trying to keep up with others, you feel a lightness of spirit that you can only feel when you are at peace. You start finding joy in the most mundane things, like watching a bird roam in the garden and even tasks that once felt like a real burden such as cleaning or doing the washing up, suddenly feel pleasurable.

There is absolutely no question that mindless consumption makes people unhappy. For one thing, because you are always trying to get the latest this or that, you never really manage peace of mind! You are always on the move, worried not to be left behind. So exhausting, yet this is the way many people choose to live their lives. Make simplicity your way of life and see what wonders it can do for you, just as it did for us.