When Kurt and I got married, we made three commitments for our life together:
1) We would live as simply as possible,
2) We would join a faith community in our neighborhood, and
3) We would do meaningful work – not work just for money.
We’ve held these commitments to varying degrees throughout our 22 years together. At year 10 and 20, we revisited them. We reaffirmed the commitments we wanted to carry forward and surfaced new ones that needed to be prioritized, like:
‘Be on the right side of justice.’
‘Seek peace in our home.’
Our commitment to simplicity never fell off the list.
Recently I’ve been re-reading a wonderful book, The Soul of Money. It challenges the great lie of scarcity. It calls out the toxic myths that there is ‘not enough’ and that ‘more is always better.’
It invites us into the surprising truth of sufficiency and abundance. And to live a life aligned with our highest commitments and values – investing our time and resources into what matters most.
What are your highest commitments and values?
What matters most to you?
Living a life of simplicity, community, and meaning is our practice. Something we often fail at….but something we always try to return to.
And lately, my life has not felt so simple.
Our kids have schedules that are robust, to say the least.
Opportunities to invest in our neighborhood and city are never ending.
My work has been complex, asking a lot of me on an intellectual, emotional, and spiritual level.
Doing deep work limits how wide I can go.
And the truth is…there is only so much that I can adequately give myself to. When I’m overextended, I’m often not available for the things I value most.
I’m beginning to recognize that these moments of feeling “not enough” (not enough time, not enough energy, not enough fun, not enough money, not enough connection, not enough sleep, not enough vegetables, not enough… not enough… not enough…) are simply invitations…
To slow down.
To recalibrate.
To re-center what is most important.
To remember…there is enough.
This feeling of being stretched…of spinning…of hustle… all serves as an invitation…to return to simplicity.
I am convinced that it would be a gift to the world if we all slowed down a bit.
I’m trying to do my part.
Where might the myth of “more is better” be showing up for you?
What do you feel you don’t have enough of?
What might slowing down invite and offer you?
How might the boundaries of simplicity offer you freedom?