The smell of simplicity

I run in the early morning, three times a week. My alarm goes off at 4am. I snuggle closer to Christy. Finally I rouse my resolve and crawl out of bed, stumble to the door, and start running before I have time to think. I am barefoot (that's another story) shivering, and suddenly exhilarated.

Running barefoot is a primal and refreshingly wild tonic for my reeling, endlessly pummeled medical student's brain. The simplicity relaxes me, and soon my peace is complete. I enjoy the cool of night even as the energy of approaching day infuses each second accelerating towards the sunrise. My senses come alive with the world, my feet feeling each stride, the sights and sounds all around me, and the smells.

Oh yes, that's right, the smells. Nothing bad, of course, but all smell, any smell period, reminds me of the skunks. Some days I take on every attribute of a hyper-alert, hunted animal. My peripheral vision becomes super human, my nose more sensitive than the finest wine-taster's. Skunks in Loma Linda, you must understand, are aggressive predators.

Just the other day, I was running innocently down a deserted lane when a cat crossed my intended trajectory about 100 feet ahead. At least, I told myself it was a cat, with a really big busy tail. I didn't have long to rest in this comforting fable, however, for within seconds, the harmless cat was a skunk, pausing in mid stride, looking straight at me. I stopped. Surely, the skunk would continue on its way? But no, it turned towards me and began to run, purposefully, menacingly. I fled. Then, less than five minutes later, another skunk. This time, it was running up the street I was running down. I slowed my pace. Surely my last experience was a fluke and this skunk would see me and flee? Nay! The skunk saw me, but did not change course. Instead, its casual amble became an uncompromising, all-out charge. I fled once again.

Oddly enough, those two nervy skunks did not ruin my run. I actually chuckled most of the way home. Two stinky striped creatures had changed my run from a sublime revere into a farcical comedy. On the way back, I actually checked both ways as I crossed a street, not for cars (at 4am) but for skunks!

I couldn't wait to tell Christy my silly tale, but after regaling her with the full story, a serious and important thought occurred to me: We have real life passing us by each day, by turns dramatic, romantic, exciting, or just downright hilarious, but too often, we don't even notice. We have become so busy, so overstimulated, so over-entertained, that our sensitivity to real experience is pathetically dull.

We should simplify life at least enough to notice it, preferably enough to appreciate it, and hopefully enough to revel in it. I'm no saint of simplicity, but if the smells of sleepy Loma Linda suddenly can remind me of stinky skunks, then hopefully this little story will put my mind onto a far better scent--the smell of simplicity.

Clutter

I read recently in an article (I think from Runners World) that there are two reasons we clutter our life with things. The first is by preparing for the future - keeping all sorts of things because we think we might need it someday! The second way is for remembering the past - keeping all the sentimental mementos from our yesteryears. If overdone, both detract from the present.

Over Christmas break one of my jobs at home was to go through quite a few boxes of my stuff. When Barry and I moved to California, we only brought a limited amount of our belongings. For me, a lot of stuff got left at my parent's place. But I began to wonder, if it wasn't important enough for me to bring to California, did I really need it in the first place?

I come from long line of savers. My Dad and Grampie fit the futuristic saver prototype. They keep all sorts of things for that day far in the future when they just might need it. My Mom and Grammie are more of the past saver types. (But I must note that they both have been doing a LOT of sorting and decluttering lately! I'm so proud of them!)

As I sorted through my belongings, I came to realize that I was definitely a saver. Maybe not an extreme one, but at least a mild one. For remembering the past, I have a whole tub full of small notes, letters, and mementos from my highschool days. Birthday cards, mission trip DVDs... They all got tossed into that tub. As far as saving for the future goes, I have a trunk full of little dresses, my favorite doll and all her handmade clothes that my great grandmother (or was it my great, great grandmother??) made, and other things of such nature that I am saving for when I have my own home and family someday.

As I created piles for the thrift shop, I mulled over clutter, possessions, and STUFF. What should guide my future decisions in regards to how much to keep and how much to pitch?

Barry and I have already made some decisions about how much we want to have. We had to start thinking about it a long time ago when people were wanting to know what we wanted for wedding gifts. Basically it boils down to this: we want to live simply, and in order to live simply, sometimes you have to make what seems to others as drastic choices. One of those, for us, is stuff. We have decided that we want quality essentials and not much more. In fact, we've already commented that we feel like we're getting too much stuff. On my to-do list is the task of going through our two closet/cupboard storage areas and deciding what we don't need. If we don't start now, things will start to build up quickly!

But I also think there is a time and place for the remembering and saving for the future. The trick is just to not let things get excessive. Save what is is MOST important, and have firm guidelines as to what makes the cut to be in that category. For instance, I have gotten rid of almost all of my beloved stuffed animals and childhood memorabilia. However, there are 3 that I have kept. These items will be passed on to my own children someday. And I have future plans to go through my box of memories from highschool and weed out everything but the MOST special and MOST important. I think I'll be able to reduce it from a tub full to at least a small pile.

I'm sure there are more lessons to be learned about clutter. I didn't even mention the clutter that we schedule into our lives each day or the clutter that exists in our minds. But those are for another day. I have a closet to sort through!

What about you? What are your guidelines for reducing clutter?

My Grammie's Christmas Tree

This Christmas, for the first time in many years, my Grammie had a Christmas tree. I was struck by the awesome simplicity of it. She didn't go out and buy expensive ornaments and decorations. Instead, she used what she had and created one of the most beautiful trees I have ever seen.

Found on her tree were dried orange slices which looked like stained glass windows. She had cookie cutters that had been given to her long ago and the ear tag from Grampies favorite cow.

She used canning jar lids and old bells that she had collected. She had chimes that her elementary students had made many years ago. Atop the tree (not pictured) was a lovely doll from her collection (note: my grammie is a master doll maker!)

Nestled underneath lay a block village of toy buildings that she had for grandchildren to play with on their visits.

I just loved her tree and I wanted to share it. Not only is it simple and lovely, but it shares treasured memories - just what a my kind of Christmas tree is all about!

Biblical Simplicity: 2nd Peter

"For by what a man is overcome, by that he is enslaved" - 2 Peter 2:19

This morning as I was reading in 2nd Peter, this verse jumped out at me. It is just one example of many principles of simplicity that are found in the Bible.

There are so many things that we find ourselves enslaved by. Peter had been previously referring to "fleshly desires", "sensuality", and "corruption" but then he goes on to make this blanket statement: "for by what a man is overcome, by that he is enslaved".

What does it mean to be overcome? Paul talks about this very thing in Romans 7:14-25. In my own words, it means that our will (frontal cortex) is silenced in such a way that we do what we don't want to do, buy what we really don't want to buy, eat what we know we shouldn't eat, and leave undone the things that we actually really want to do.

The list of addictions that Satan has set up for our entrapment is long. For some people, it's possessions. For others, it's food. Sex, money, fashion, excitement, and fame are all high on the list as well. But enslavement to any of these is the opposite of living a "simple life, lived well".

Barry and I are seeking freedom from these things that enslave us. We may struggle with a different set of temptations than you do, but the principle is the same. We are choosing each day to do without in order to ensure that we never again become enslaved to money, possessions, or a host of other tempting allurements.

But you know, finding freedom from enslavement is much more than just living with less stuff. It involves a God who is big enough to break the chains when they are too strong for us to do it on our own. Barry and I have been at that place in our lives, and the road of simplicity that we are now striving to walk is one we are on only because God has loosened the bonds that held us.

Some people think that they can curb their addictions on their own. And many appear to succeed. But if God is not behind the change, they will always come up against bigger and bigger chains. This is what differentiates our blog on simple living from many that already exist.

We understand the source of enslavement (satan), and are fully committed to the solution (God).

If this is something you want as well, keep reading! We plan to write about the challenges we face, the decisions we make, and the lessons we learn along the way. We want to be exceedingly practical, but also address the spiritual and philosophical foundations for our choices as well.

For further study on the freedom that God gives, Paul outlines the solution more deeply in Romans 8. It begins like this, "Therefore, there is now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Now if that doesn't sound like freedom, I don't know what does.

"Is this not the fast which I choose,

To loosen the bonds of wickedness,

To undo the bands of the yoke,

And to let the oppressed go free

And break every yoke?"

Isaiah 58:6

Merry Christmas from Skymall

We flew to New England for Christmas, amusing ourselves along the way with the Skymall magazine and some of its over-the-top items. Enjoy

The Keep your distance bug vacuum, $59.95

"Flies, bees, spiders, and other insects are suctioned by a 22,400 rpm motor, sending the insect through a one-way valve in the extension tube to an electric grid in the handle that instantly kills the pest"

And for a superb promotional video, we recommend checking the Skymall website here. "bye bye bug"

The brobdingnagian sports chair, $149.95

"Capable of accommodating a brobdingnagian, this is the portable chair that elevates your physical stature at any outdoor event. The lofty seat elevates feet well above the ground, where they’re free to dangle and sway instead of merely floundering in dirt or sand."

Finally! freedom from floundering. And for a mere $149.95

The hypnotic illumicube, $99.95

"This clear acrylic cube is filled with 64 multi-colored LEDs that systematically illuminate in 500,000 different combinations, producing a mesmerizing light show."

When all your other gadgets fail to satisfy, mesmerize yourself!

The indoor dog restroom, $99.95

"Ideal for high rise-dwelling dogs, when owners aren't home, or even just for times of harsh weather, this ingenious system uses a mat made of antimicrobial, porous artificial turf that gives off an organic scent to attract dogs, so they can be taught quickly that it is an acceptable spot for relieving themselves."

Antimicrobial + alluring organic scent: perfect, just perfect!

Box of Applause or Laughter, $24.95

"Craving a little recognition? Someone who gets your jokes? Open the Box of Applause and be greeted with the sounds of cheering and clapping from a very enthusiastic crowd. Or open the Box of Laughter to hear uproarious guffaws. Close your eyes and imagine yourself accepting that Oscar, Nobel, or Best Comedy Emmy"

Laughter and applause!

Backyard Living: Persimmons!

For us, living simply means making do and finding ways to be creative with what you already have.  We've found that in the end, we are doing so much more than just "making do", we are living a life full of abundance and satisfaction.  Here is one example involving persimmons!

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On my personal blog, I've blogged about my persimmon pecan pie and my persimmon cookies - but I hinted that we'd been doing a lot more with our persimmons than had been revealed. I've been taking pictures of our persimmon experiments for about 2 months now - but I was waiting for our Barry & Christy blog to get up and running before sharing. During that time we've also been perfecting our experiments :)

We've really enjoyed learning about and using the fuyu persimmons from our tree. And believe me, the tree is quite large and was quite laden with a bountiful harvest. We were determined to use them as much as we could. We really wanted to practice our simple living principle of using what is at hand first before buying something else - in this case, food! So we set out with great aims to experiment and creatively incorporate persimmons into our daily lives.

We read on the internet that fuyu persimmons should be eaten like apples. So we decided to cook them down like applesauce! Imagine our surprise when they began to smell and taste like sweet squash! So that's how the pumpkin/persimmon pie idea was born.

We began using the persimmons when they looked like this. However, we found out later that these are still not ripe. They tasted decent and cooked down great, but their prime comes when they turn a deep, almost reddish orange.

Like this:

Making sauce in our food strainer.

My first pie experiment. This one had tangerine slices in it! It was very yummy!

Cranberry - persimmon mixture

A mini version of our persimmon cranberry pecan pie

Making a persimmon cranberry crumble for potluck.

Our initial aim was to can all this sauce that we were making but our internet searches didn't turn up much information. I did find a few places that said that persimmons couldn't be canned because their pH was too high. Canned goods should have a pH lower than 4.6 to ensure that botulism won't grow. But we've also read in canning books that you can lower the pH of foods to a safe canning level by adding lemon juice or a powdered ascorbic acid that doesn't have a taste.

We wanted to can the sauce but because of our uncertainty, the first few batches of sauce that we made were either made into pies, cookies, or crumbles, or frozen in ziplock bags. But we hadn't given up on the canning idea quite yet. I was able to get some saliva pH testers at the health food store that went down to 4.5. We knew that if we could get it down to 4.5 with lemon juice and powdered acid, than things should be fine. The initial reading was about a 5.75. By adding a good deal of lemon juice (which we think enhances the flavor), we were able to lower it to about a 5. Then we added some Fruit Fresh, which is usualy used for keeping sliced fruit from turning brown. But it's first and second ingredients were citric acid and ascorbic acid so we figured it would work. It did! The pH came all the way down to a 4.5! Because of all the added lemon juice and the citric acid from the Fruit Fresh, it did have a bit more tang to it then I would have wished. I think next time I would go out and buy some ascorbic acid, which isn't supposed to have a taste.

So then we canned that batch - which made 3 quart jars full. I am still not certain of the validity of our approach because I've also read cautionary information about canning sauces that are too dense - such as pumpkin butter. This sauce is also quite dense and may not have heated up to the right temperature. So even though the pH has been lowered, I'm not sure I recommend others trying this method yet. I would have felt better about things had we pressure canned them but we don't have a pressure canner at this point.

Here are the cookies! And the cans of persimmon sauce behind them.

While you may not have your own persimmon tree in the backyard, the principle of this blog can still be applied in your daily life.  Whether it involves food, appliances, clothing, or any other item, using what you have on hand before buying something new is a sure-fire way to cut down on expenses, stuff, and stress.

Another Way

Consider a Gallop poll on money and happiness reported by the Wall Street Journal . Apparently, $75,000/year is the sweet spot salary. "After that, it is just more stuff, with no gain in happiness". What does this mean? The $75,000 statistic was based on "day to day happiness". The poll also measured "overall satisfaction with life" and this continued to increase all the way up the income ladder. Choose for yourself what to make of the $75,000 sweet spot, but the connection between overall satisfaction and income is unambiguous. In other words, you can't make this Gallop poll into an unequivocal argument for a less materialistic life. To the contrary, the poll may even suggest that people are more satisfied when they have more money and possessions.

Obviously, this poll does not give the whole picture on happiness, but it does give us a picture, a picture we should not ignore: the average person appears happier with more money and stuff. The corollary is that life with less money and stuff must be intrinsically less happy and satisfying.

From our observation and experience, however, life with less is actually more happy and satisfying. We are not here to say that wealth and possessions pave a poor path to happiness and satisfaction. We just think there's another, perhaps better way. That's the way we are walking. That's the way we hope to share on this blog.