The Simplicity of Solitude

Contentment in solitude does not come naturally to me. I grew up in a loud family with noise, company, and a whole lot of love around all the time.

But the older I get, the more I realize that finding some peace in being alone from time to time is important. It's part of the balance I seek, part of the rhythm that keeps me going, and part of the journey towards a more simple life.

Because being in solitude doesn't require much else than, well, being. Here are a few of the ways I'm working on embracing the solitude in my life:

1. Meditation - I'm VERY new at this whole meditation thing, but I'm starting to read more on it and practice it daily. I'm at about a minute now, but I know that with time my ability to sit in silence will improve. It's challenging, but I'm enjoying the challenge and looking forward to where it might take me.

2. Running - I've been running for a while now, but in training for my first marathon I find myself more able to enjoy the solitude of those long, quiet runs. Nothing but me and the road before me. It's a time that I'm coming to cherish more and more with each passing day. Seriously. I'm hooked.

3. Being fully present when I'm with others - Because the more I'm able to be present in the company of others, the more I can enjoy the shared time. And the more I can enjoy the time I spend with the people in my life, the more I can likewise enjoy my time alone. It's that whole balance thing. So, so important to where I am in my life right now.

These are just a few of the small steps I'm taking daily to embrace solitude and make a conscious effort to find the time and space for it in my everyday life.

What are some ways that you find solitude in your life? I'd love to hear you share in the comments section below. Thanks for stopping by.

Freedom

It's the 4th of July today and I'm challenging myself to look at freedom in light of my journey of voluntary simplicity.

Simplicity is a funny thing. Sometimes it seems simple and sometimes it seems, well, not so simple at all. I've been doing a lot of work on the simplicity front lately - spending time on my front porch in the morning reading up on voluntary simplicity and journaling, reviving my virtual simplicity circle with a friend of mine who now lives in Arkansas, cleaning out my closet and donating 50% of my clothes to Goodwill (I'm at about 30% after my second pass), starting to track my spending again so I know where I stand, focusing on a vegan diet that is more whole-foods based than processed... and the list goes on.

I've found some of these steps to be surprisingly simple, and others to be much more difficult. But the common thread I'm finding in everything I'm doing is the intention behind living a simpler life. And it's that intention that I want to start to explore again in my writing. It's not the what, or even the how, that I'm interested in, but the why.

I'm interested in the voluntary simplicity movement because I believe that who we are is so intricately tied to what we do and how we live our lives. I think we have to work at "being the change," not only in our professional lives, but also in our personal ones.

I was driving to work the other day, for example, and I noticed that this big plot of forest had been cleared - hundreds of trees, gone. The best I can figure out is that the waste management treatment plant that lies directly adjacent to the newly-cleared plot of land is expanding. Yuck!

Once I got over my initial disgust, I began to reflect on both why I was upset and what my personal responsibility is to contributing to the trash that fills our landfills. So, along with everything else I've been working on, I'm also starting to work on reducing the amount of trash that leaves our home every week. As best I can guess, right now we are recycling about 80% of stuff, but I know we can do better.

I know we need to do better.

Because we need more trees, not more landfills.

And we need more consciousness, not more mindless consumption. For me, I know that valuing freedom also means valuing the ability to make conscious choices... not because anyone is forcing me to, but because I can.

Three Very Simple Reasons Why I'm a Vegan

A lot of people ask me why I'm a vegan. Sometimes, I just smile and don't say much at all, and sometimes I find myself rambling around forever in a way that soon makes both me and the person who first asked the question visibly uncomfortable.

But when it comes down to it, my reasons for being a vegan are pretty simple, and are the exact same reasons why many people choose a life of voluntary simlicity.

Reason #1: It's good for my health. I'm not going to go into much detail about this here, because there are experts who have written extensively on the topic. If you are so inclined, read The China Study and Becoming Vegan.

Reason #2: It's good for my wallet. Seriously, being a vegan saves me money. Except for an occasional meal out at a favorite vegan restaurant, being a vegan is pretty cheap. By and large, veggies and fruits (even the locally grown and organic variety) are reasonably priced. Nuts are worth the price I pay for them, considering how small a serving size is. Even my expensive vegan protein powder doesn't cost me nearly as much as the average person spends on buying meat, cheese, and dairy products. Do I sometimes get upset that my organic soy milk costs so much more than regular milk and that it rarely goes on sale? Of course I do. But then I just revert back to Reason #1 above and I relax.

Reason #3. It's good for the environment. And I'm not just talking about the animals here. Of course being a vegan is good for them. :) It's also better for the air, water, and land. Again, you don't have to research much to learn the impact that the Standard American Diet has on our environment... and how being a vegan is a lighter way to walk through life.

I'm really not an expert on veganism. I just know that it makes sense for me personally. It aligns with my values and makes me feel good about many of the choices I make on a daily basis. That's it.

If you've ever considered giving up animal products, I encourage you to do your research and then take the leap. Try it. If you don't like it, you know, you can always go back... And if being a vegan seems like too big of a stretch, join the "Meatless Mondays" movement. Give up meat one day a week, knowing that on Tuesday you can go back to eating whatever you ate on Sunday. You might just find yourself not wanting all that meat after a while.

Oh, and check out my brother's blog here. He's the person who inspired me to go vegan. And he writes about it quite a bit on his blog. And he's pretty smart and entertaining. But again, that's just my personal opinion. :)

Birke Baehr: What's wrong with our food system | Video on TED.com

Birke Baehr: What's wrong with our food system | Video on TED.com

So Thankful...

So thankful for time spent with family and friends, for the comfort of knowing that every year - no matter what has transpired - we will all gather in this time and in this place. And sometimes we might cry a bit, remembering years past and those loved ones who are no longer with us, but we always will come around to a place of laughter, and celebration, and love. Anyone who has ever spent a Thanksgiving at my family's house knows that it is a time that is not easily captured in words, or pictures, or even memories... it's kind of one of those, "you had to be there" things. And for those of us who have been lucky enough to gather together year, after year, after year, well, we all know that we are blessed beyond measure. So thankful this is my family; so thankful this is my home...