Yearning for a little simplicity…

I grew up camping. It was all I knew as far as holidays were concerned till well into my teenage years when the pleasures of driving at least 12 hours for a small beachside apartment were finally introduced.

So when I had the option to join my sons week long school class camp, I decided it was time to give it another go. Was I crazy? My friends thought so! It hadn’t been something I had ever wanted to do since I first discovered fresh towels and your own bathroom as a holiday option!

But something in me wanted to go. My year long lifestyle challenge is very much about simplicity for me. And I was yearning for that raw simplicity just to see what it felt like.

From the moment I took off in the car with four excited boys including my own, I already felt a sense of peace and what was in store. The parents who weren’t joining us as we took of from school looked relieved. I felt privileged to be going.

I could describe so many moments, write so much about the experience. But I want to keep it simple and share what most mattered to me about the whole adventure and why this features in Month 7.

It was liberating. I had all I needed including a few pretty little things (always always have a few pretty things!), but mostly basics. Just one set of plates and cutlery. Washed and ready to go again after every meal. No mess, no fuss.

Great healthy food. The joy of walking down to the beach when the sun finally made an appearance. The forgotten thrill of a game of playing frisby with a group just happy to be there. Three at once! Laughing. Cups of tea. Many cups of tea. Great stories by the fire. Bedtime. Early rising. Singing to myself in the shower block!

Oh the simple beauty of it all. Even though we were almost washed out by the rain, that did not dampen our spirits. Perhaps it made us even more determined to enjoy every moment.

I was surprised by just how much I LOVED it. Less stuff, more life.

And I finally got what being PRESENT, truly present can feel like.

I want more of that. And I am now wondering how I can take some of that home and live it every day? To be conscious of living with more grace and simplicity. As I write this, funnily enough I am sitting at the school. A week after our trip heralds the final Christmas Celebration.

It’s warm, there is a band playing. It’s sweet, total sweetness. Love. Joy. There is no drama. Why so often do we allow the drama in?

So much falls away when you close the door on drama…

I know I am finally starting to love myself for real. Because as I am truly noticing the grandness of my everyday world – in this moment a little girl has sat at the table in front of me, her smile at the pie she is about to take a bite of is amazing. And I notice. I smile back at her joy. She smiles more. I now have tears welling.

I am never really alone even when I think I am. Even when my external world of relationships appear to be falling away or shifting. There is always something beautiful just around the corner to smile at.

Like Pie…

Shine Brightly Live Lightly

Elli J x

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