"Simple living". That is a phrase that we YAGM volunteers have been kicking around for a while now. It is one of the two buzz words for YAGM- the other being "accompaniment". When we had interviews for our countries, we were asked 'what does simple living mean to you?' I don't remember exactly what I answered, but I'm sure it was something along the lines of "not living above your means". A very textbook, economics-based technical definition of the phrase.
Now my time in Madagascar is coming to a close- so soon, too soon- and I have realized that I am not any closer to answering that question than I was 11 months ago.
Now, I'm not so sure it's about the economics, after all. I don't have a definition still. But if I was forced to try to describe simple living, I'd say something along these lines:
Simple living is rediscovery.
Simple living is finding all of the small things in life and remembering how to be thankful and joyous over them.
Simple living is slower, more appreciative, more soaking things up.
Simple living is savoring a good meal and recognizing everything that went into that meal, not rushing through a buffet line to scarf down as much food as possible in an hour.
Simple living is quality over quantity.
It is all of these things, and more. It is something I don't quite have words for yet.
It's the way we celebrate birthdays here. We all eat lunch together, we drink juice, and we cut cake together. There are no gifts; at least, not how we think of gifts. There are no material gifts. Instead, we give the gift of presence. We give the gift of time. We give the gift of love.
It's the way we celebrate Christmas. No extravagant light shows, no huge tree, no mountains of prettily wrapped boxes. We had lunch together, a special lunch with juice and pasta salad and vegetables as an appetizer before our rice. We had ice cream together. We sat around the table talking and laughing. We ate candy during church.
It's the way that we move here. Time is slower. In the US, we're always in such a hurry. Run here, run there, go to work, go to the gym, eat dinner in front of the TV, rinse and repeat. Life is fast in the US. We worry about our jobs- rush to work, get as many hours as possible, go through the drive thru at Starbucks for lunch or eat at our desks because we are simply too busy. We worry about money- how will we get food on the table, how will we save up enough money to pay off the mortgage, how will we send our children to college. We worry about quantity.
It's the way I've been able to view the world here. Very small things make my day in a way that they never did in the States. When I catch a taxibe right away and the front seat is open. When I can hold a conversation with someone. When the neighborhood kids recognize me and greet me by name. When we eat candy at church or cake at lunch. When I see someone being kind to beggars on the street. When there is a cool breeze in the warm sunshine. When we go on retreat and see beautiful forests and mountains and beaches. When I get surprised by ravitoto at lunch. When my momma brings me a hot water bottle after dinner if I've been coughing. When my students text me good morning and tell me they're praying for me.
It is all of this. It is more than this. I'm still discovering what exactly 'simple living' means, but I know that my idea has changed. It has transformed from a textbook copy-and-paste definition, mere words on a page, into something living and breathing. Into experiences and memories. When I hear "simple living", I don't think 'living within your means, without extravagance'. When I hear "simple living", I see my host parents. I see little children playing. I see beggars on the street and people in church and I see Madagascar. I see the simple truth that when you live with less, you appreciate the little things more. That is not to say that it is good to be living in poverty-- I vehemently disagree. But there is something to be said for rotating life's priorities away from money and possessions and things.
When you have less, you appreciate more.
Maybe that's my new, boiled down definition of 'simple living'.
No comments:
Post a Comment