Posted by on 17 Jan 2014 in Personal | 1 comment

Baby toes

Photo Source: BenGatrelle via Instagram

So our baby is crawling now. She used to move around by rolling here and there. Now she’s standing up with help, holding onto things, but not quite walking yet. My how time goes by.

I thought we had a clean house. That was before we had a little crawler who can find the smallest little “crumb” in a room. I never realized how many little things made their way onto the floor.

We’ve talked about simplifying our lives this year. Maybe we need to start with the crumbs.

Our hope is to put our townhouse on the market, maybe trade some square footage for yardage. It would be nice to find a little house with a big yard and a nice view, someplace that doesn’t get us stranded at the top of the big hill every time the roads get icy.

A garden for the wife to grow a little some of what we eat. A shed or workshop in the back for me. A swing for our daughter.

We all have hopes and things we’d like to change in our lives, things we’d like to simplify, perhaps. Sometimes things get too big or too complicated, even as we strive for simplicity. And change seem to happen whether we want it to or not.

We’ve started putting the covers over the electrical outlets, and I have no idea what the real estate agent will say about all the latches on the cabinets doors. There’s no telling what next year will look like.

I used to think our grandparents lives were so stable and unchanging. We idealize the slower pace and the simpler life, and many people are trying to get back to their version of that. . Then I remember what my grandparents lived through, the kids they raised, the changes they saw.

I remember my grandma telling me where she was and what she was doing when she heard (on the radio) about the bombing of Peal Harbor. And I remember her out in her garden growing lettuce and pulling weeds, and cooking lunch on Saturday afternoon while we watched cartoons. All of grandma’s food was comfort food.

And I wonder what my grandkids will remember about me and my life 50 years from now.

But today I’ll focus on my daughter’s smile and her chubby little fingers reaching and grasping, and I’ll do my best to keep as many little things off the floor as I can.

The simple life will have to start with that.

What’s your idea of a simple life? Please share in the comments below.