Simplicity Parenting

engrossed in the moment

Beatrice and her new bunny, Butterbean. Finally the farm has a bunny again. While it would great for Butters to live at the farm so all the children could visit and play, we are trying to keep her up at the house - mostly so I am not continuously asked to go to the farm to see her. So for any readers who don't know, we do not live at our farm, but a half mile up the road. Not a terrible distance to walk or bike you might say - but for about 10 months out of the year there is a wetland that floods the road between our house and farm, creating a 6 mile commute. The complexities that arise out of this circumstance are a topic for another time. But here I am getting to my point. Simplicity. I feel like I am ever striving to simplify, simplify, simplify. While living at the farm would be more simple, it just isn't an option so one of the things I'm trying to keep in mind is trying to limit the number of times I get in the car during the day to go down to the farm. Since it is spring and Bea is in school this is fairly easy to do. But I'm already thinking about summer when we'll be there more and more, yet needing to come back for nap, lunch, oh I forgot sunscreen again and I have to make that phone call etc. While this is one example let me step back into the more general picture.

Lately I've been reading Kim John Payne's book Simplicity Parenting which extols the virtues of downsizing our stuff and our schedules in order to give our children the time and space they need to be kids. He writes, "Imagine... appreciating the pleasure of the ordinary." This profoundly struck me, as I watch the children doing exactly that in every moment, the little buddhas that they are. As adults we strive for such awareness instead of multitasking and always thinking ahead to the next project to prepare for or chore that has to be done. And herein lies the magic of rhythm. I think I am setting a good example for the children when I adhere to our family's daily rhythm, but I'm also making my life a lot less complicated by taking out a whole host of variables and choices. It is so freeing! And so I'll keep striving ....