The Simple Things

This morning I felt a rant coming on. It all started when I was trying to put away my clothes piled upon my dresser. My pants drawer has always been the one stuffed to the brim, jammed closed. Today it was beyond stuffed; I couldn't fit another pair of shorts in. So, out came every pair and I pulled out every pair of bottoms I hadn't worn, or didn't like. Suddenly, the drawer was empty enough to close. But, still, I wouldn't be able to fit anything else. I had pulled out all my jeans, intending to hang them (living in Florida it's too hot to wear jeans in summer), but when I went to my closet I found five other pairs of jeans from my grandmother hanging. So, out came those as well. Doing the same thing as with my drawer, I soon had a large pile jeans that had been hanging in my closet for a few months, never even thought of. I sat down on the mattress in front of the closet and looked into it -- stuffed to the brim, cluttered, filled with items I never used. Glancing into the back I saw the multiple dress-up dresses. "If only we could go back to the simple days!" I thought to myself. You know, in the 1800s an average working-class woman had at most four dresses: an everyday dress (maybe two), a Sunday dress, and *possibly* a dress reserved for very special occasions such as a ball. When she went to dress in the morning she simply pulled out the dress she always wore. Today we would never dream of being seen in the same outfit twice during a small period of time. Every Sunday morning it's a struggle to find something to wear to Church. "I wore that three weeks ago! I can't wear that again." Why not? Why can we not just relax and enjoy the simple things in life?

Especially in America we want choices. We demand it. We deserve it. We are Americans, therefore we have every right to rule. We can rule what we wear, what we eat, we are in control. I envy the naivety of children. A child sees the world in the way God intended it: beautiful, simple (but intricate). A child goes about his day in a straightforward manner, never fearing what tomorrow may bring. Imagine if everyone just took a step back, forgot about the busyness in life and just listened, looked, thought; just went outside and enjoyed the beautiful world God has given us; just sad down with a cup of tea and a good book; just called up a friend to talk, just because; just enjoyed the simple things in life.