Choosing the Simple Life

There's nothing simple about life these days. Especially if you're middle-aged! These days are far different from our parents. Back in the day life itself was simpler. Our parents didn't have as much demand on them in there middle-age like a lot of us these days. Back then you worked, raised a family, and retired to enjoy your second half of life, doing the things you always wanted. Use to be when you retired, you had a good pension or savings. Nowadays, we basically have to work till we drop! 

So how can you live simple in a world of fast-paced living? How can you slow your life down enough to enjoy the moment? It's not always easy! Most of us have massive debt and mortgages in our middle-age. Instead of getting ready for retirement, lots of us have our hands full of obligations. With grandparents raising grandchildren to children moving back home, most of us can't even save! If you ask me, the middle-age group has it the hardest right now! The hardest part is most of us don't have the funds to keep up the grown children or the grandchildren. We are getting ourselves deeper and deeper in debt.

To choose living simple means giving up on all the Things we don't need and opting for the simple life with less things. And even though it would benefit most of us by simplifying our lives, few have what it really takes to live simple. At our age, many of us think we have to keep putting on a show. We have a certain status in life and we think more about what people would think! And as we are living our lives trying to keep up appearances, behind the scenes we are drowning in debt...

A few years ago I decided to go simple! It was easier said than done. At the time I had a mortgage, debts, and business debts. I also had grown children who we're relying on me for financial support. Every month the debt was growing! I was beginning to be stressed all the time and quite irritable! Complaining is all I knew how to do. I had so many responsibilities that I didn't know how to get out of. I thought that my life was going to be stressful till my dying day! All the responsibilities had me bogged down and depressed. It gotten to the point where every cent was going to help the kids and pay bills! Nothing else! No trips or vacations. Just working to live!

I could no longer take that life anymore. The stress of it all begin to be too much! I knew there was more to life than being in debt all the time. So I prayed about it. I asked God to help me out of this big hole I had dug for myself. I asked God to help me out of debt and into a more simple life and a more stress-free environment! I sat down one day and made a workable plan to pay off my debts and move to the country. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but this is what I truly wanted.. I was tired of keeping up apperences and trying to keep a certain social status. The city started to seem too big and demanding. My husband and I worked over 25 years in the city. Working, raising our family, and living life. But originally both hubby and I are from the country.

So I sat out on my journey to simplify our lives. I started with paying off debt! It took a couple of years but I managed to pay off our credit cards and loans one by one. We both decided that once we paid off our credit cards we would not use credit cards again. No more charging everything! From now on it's cash or debt card, no credit cards! Just doing that helped us from accruing anymore credit debt. We we're able to see a Real difference in our lives just by not having so much debt! I didn't stop there, I continued to simplify where I could.

The next thing I moved onto was our home. I could simplify our home by going through our things and selling, donating, or trashing some of our stuff. Hubby and I both had things that over the years became obsolete or we didn't use anymore. This too was not an easy task. I get attached to some things and have a hard time parting with it! But again I dug down deep because I knew it was for the best. I also knew that some of the things I was not using could be used and appreciated by someone else! I realized I had a real unhealthy attachment to some things! Letting go of you're stuff can be hard and stressful. But when it comes to a point when it's bogging you down, it's time to let it go! Some stuff was just keeping up space! It took me a while but I prayed and let go of some of the things I no longer needed!

Again, there was a big difference in my life! I started to feel a little lighter, a little more at peace! With my spirits now in tact I continued trying to simplify my life... Next were the grown children! Helping them along the way has just been part of my life for too long! My kids are now in there early 30's. It was time for me to realize I need to take care of myself. In the past when the children needed help, I would even go into debt myself to make sure I could help them! I am now older and I can't afford to keep doing it! I knew This especially was going to be hard! I love my children and I want to help them as much as I can. But I DoNot want to be a crutch for them! At first, it was Not well received but eventually the children had to get used to the fact that I would no longer help them like I once had..

Doing all these things was difficult! I won't lie to you, it took real fortitude sometimes to stand my ground and stay on course. When I first set out to simplify my life, I had no idea it would be as hard as it turned out to be. But you know what? I wouldn't change a thing! Through all this I've grown as a person, my faith has been restored, and I'm at a point of stress-free living! I also learned that simplifying you're life will be an ongoing process! There will always be things that need clearing away in order to keep your life simple. I don't have to give in to the rat race of life! You can slow down and enjoy the moment! I'm a witness! I kept pushing until my life became simpler! So yeah, I still got areas in my life that need simplifying and I'm going to keep taking them on one by one!