The simple life

If you were to ask me my favourite moments from last year - they were spending three weeks travelling around in our little trailer - eating breakfast at picnic tables surrounded by birds, reading by a mini night light listening to the sleeping sounds of my loves, skipping rocks in the river, watching outdoor movies with fellow campers under the stars and swimming wherever we could. There's something about playing cards by lantern light, playing tag in the waves, drinking that first cup of camping coffee, it all felt like we had found our perfect way to travel - just pick a spot on the map and go. We've done our share of travelling to beautiful countries, staying in lovely hotels, but this past summer felt more special - because it was simple and tapped into all that we valued - the outdoors, togetherness, adventuring.
I wanted to write about my love of the simple life because we are rapidly approaching the time of year when people forget about how important the little moments are: picking out a Christmas tree together, baking for others, making a ridiculously decorated lopsided ginger bread house, bundling up with scarves and toques to walk around the neighbourhood looking at Christmas lights, going outdoor skating, donating presents, getting together for Christmas cheer with friends.
Before you embark on your holiday shopping, I encourage you to watch Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things on Netflix. I found it life changing. When you see the throngs of people fighting one another over Black Friday bargains, you wonder what have we become? Why are we giving into this materialistic, disposable culture? Do you know stores try to create 52 different clothing seasons? That's how quickly they are rotating merchandise, trying to make you think you need the latest and greatest trends. What if we paused for a moment. What if we took stock of what we value, thought long and hard about what we truly needed and only introduced quality items that served a purpose into our homes, into our lives. I can promise you that when you declutter your environment, you will declutter your mind. If you are constantly shopping, or constantly picking out the next shiny object of your affection, take a pause and ask yourself why? What level of satisfaction is it bringing? How long after you bought the latest shiny object were you starting to think about the next "must own" thing? Nowadays, when I truly like something, I wait on it for a few months, to see if that feeling is still there. And most times, it is forgotten. I really don't want to be working for "stuff". I certainly don't want to be spending my time cleaning stuff and picking up stuff. I want to put my money towards experiences, towards travelling, towards adventures. Embrace the simple things in life. When our lives are done, none of the "stuff" comes with us, only our stories. xoxox