THE JOY OF SIMPLICITY

     In the house I grew up in, my sister and I could play badminton in the front hall, and we did. The ceilings were fifteen feet high, and the dimensions grand. A circle of English Boxwood stood proudly in front of the house and bordered the path to the kitchen. There was a flagstone terrace, and a fireplace in almost every room. The house was on the registry of National Historic Places and quite a grand affair.
     And yet, it didn't make us happy or healthy. Everyone in my family struggled with fear and demons, including me. It was a beautiful set-up filled with tons of tension and way short on love.
     The dimensions of my life have changed since then, and the house of my childhood is long gone and far away. The structure and the trappings are no longer at the center of things. Now, the heart is, and honesty, and simple pleasures. And it's better that way. There's less pretense and alot more joy.

I do not long for fancy living. I am happy with things the way they are.