The Joy of Simplicity
Vacations are funny. It's exciting and glamorous to explore the world and "get away from it all," but then it's deeply amazing to come back to the comforts of home. (Assuming you're content with your home life.) Sleeping in your own bed, puttering around your own house and this one might just be me, but stepping back from the "make sure every day counts" mindset.
Yesterday was our first full day back from six days in Vancouver B.C. and aside from taking out garbage and watering the yard, I didn't leave the house. It was the best!
I ran a couple loads of laundry, read my library book, worked on a grocery list, packaged up two eBay sales and chatted on the phone with my sister and both kids. Dinner was Trader Joe's orange chicken with rice and sautéed cabbage, which I'd planned before we even left the country.
Zero decision making, the comforts of routine and I didn't set an alarm to avoid sleeping through the hotel breakfast. Just me, relaxing on my couch with discounted Franz bread and pilfered hotel jam. Simple. Easy. Perfect.
A vacation from my vacation.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
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I think enjoying the simple things in life goes hand in hand with frugality...the first garden tomato, the bluebirds return, a wonderful and nourishing homemade soup...and because of our outlook we don't need the "other stuff".
I'm an introverted homebody,makes perfect sense to me.
I love these sentiments and your day's activities so much; super comforting, like hygge in the summer. It has affected me the same way I was affected years ago when you talked about socializing (or lack thereof) with women, preferring to run errands with a friend while walking, etc.
Same girl same!
This post is me!
Did you ever find the “missing” eBay item? ( I might have missed it , if it’s been addressed I apologize)
I understand what you're saying. I am happiest in my own home, especially reading a book on the back deck in the summer. I love the occasional vacation or night away but the first night sleeping in my own bed is a joy!
Oh, I hear you! The simple life is the best!
I am embarking on a new mindset. Because I am in my late seventies I have been having conversations with others about my future. Some feel strongly I should jump on the retirement home bandwagon while I am still in good health, so I can enjoy the social aspects before I sink into poor health. I have looked at some, and I have looked at where my sister lives, and all I can say is I am not in any hurry. I love my life the way it is.
Granted, there are challenges. I live on the third floor of a vintage building. There is no elevator. My laundry facilities are in the basement. I don't have central air, so my son has to set up window units every summer. I have to park on the street, and I have to move my car for street sweeping and snow removal, or get a ticket -- or even worse, towed.
But the good things -- my condo is adorable and feeds my soul. I have no worries about lawn care or snow shoveling. I have easy access to public transportation, and it's free. My son's family lives a half hour walk away. It is a 15-minute walk to Walgreens, my dentist, my eye doctor, a Chinese restaurant, a frozen yogurt shop, a dry cleaner and a nail salon (which I rarely use). About a half hour walk will get me to an Italian restaurant, a Mexican restaurant, a sports bar, two diners, two coffeeshops, two bakeries, a mini grocery, an urgent care, and assorted shops I don't use. The post office is about 35 minutes away. If all that's not great enough, I have a beach on a great lake a five-minute walk away. Let's face it, I'm in heaven! I'm staying.
It is also financially advisable to stay put as long as I can. Retirement home living is shockingly expensive.
So my new mindset is, I am going to do whatever I have to do to stay put. That means keeping my legs strong and my heart and lungs strong so the stairs are not a burden. That means learning not to buy more groceries than I can carry up those stairs. And maybe buying less will mean eating out a bit more, which I wouldn't mind, even though it would be more expensive.
Did I forget to mention there are LFL's all over my neighborhood?
So the two things I want to focus on are maintaining my stair climbing ability, and limiting the weight of things I carry home. If I must bring home heavy stuff, I will ask my grandson to help.
Sorry to spend so much time on this topic!
This morning I walked to Walgreens and bought some groceries which cost $15 and weighed 4 1/2 lbs. I picked up a Jodi Picoult book at a LFL and found a dime.