Embrace a Simpler Life

For many of us, this last year and a half has helped us to remember what our true blessings are. We have reconnected with family and with our blessed Mother Earth. Some of us have turned to gardening, spending more time in the life-giving sunshine with our hands and feet in the earth. We are looking back to living a simpler life. Many of us are buying up land to homestead or create community as we begin to remember the importance of self-sustainability and of connecting with other like-minded people. For many of us, survival is not collecting a storehouse of food and sitting on top of it with our shotgun; it is growing food, making herbal medicines together, learning new skills, sharing our skills, and caring for those in our community or neighborhood—learning to live together, to honor each other’s gifts, and bring forth those gifts to help support the whole community.

 

You don’t have to live in an actual structured community to live a simpler life. You can do this right in the neighborhood in which you live. Take time to get to know your neighbors; share the bounty from your garden; help each other with home projects; and stop, chat and listen to your neighbors’ stories. There is safety in numbers—coming together with your neighbors can provide you and your family with a warm feeling of safety and security.

 

The other day, a woman told us that she has been trying her hand at gardening. She said, “I’m a terrible gardener, but when I am out playing in the dirt, that is the only time I am very present and not in a state of worry about world affairs. I am also creating a new and beautiful relationship with the Earth.” Being able to stay present for sustained periods should be enough of an incentive to get more of us out there gardening.

 

Some of us have begun resetting our internal clocks to the rhythms of the Earth. Waking up naturally without an alarm clock is a wonderful feeling. Many people tell us that when they do not have to set an alarm, that over time, they start waking up with the sun, feeling well rested and ready for their day, and that they get more done because they no longer have a rigid schedule to adhere to and find more time to do the things they love, like baking, gardening, cooking, reading, crafts—not to mention the health benefits of early to bed, early to rise.

 

In some communities, folks were only required to work 20 hours a week for the good of the community; the rest of the time was theirs to do with whatever they chose. They had more downtime, and that seemed to open the gates for their creative spirit to come forth and evolve. When they were not working, they could do things like help in the gardens or on a building project. They were able to offer their ideas on the project, and often together found new and better ways to achieve their desired outcome. Watching creative minds working in unison is amazing. In this way, many new ideas emerge that never would have in a “normal” working environment.

 

What would you do if you had some extra time on your hands? In the herbal world, there are so many things we can do to help one another. How about making a simple immune tincture or syrup in large batches and sharing it with others who might not know about herbal medicine, or making a bone broth or herbed-up soup and sharing with others who might be feeling a bit under the weather? Or what about taking some sage to a friend’s house and smudging for them, purifying their air of unwanted germs and emotions? A simple gesture of making a pot of tea can do a lot for someone who just can’t find the time to get it done. This simple act can also encourage you to sit and chat while sipping on your herbal tea. For many, it is just that—spending time.

 

Each of us has so much to offer this new Earth. Our talents and gifts have been within us all this time, and perhaps this is the time that we are meant to open our hearts and allow them to flow forth. Slow down, breathe, get out in the sunshine, put your hands and feet in the earth, and embrace a simpler life!

 

 

 

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