simplifying home | reflecting the seasons

Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own; and from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave, it is but a succession of changes so gentle and easy that we can scarcely mark their progress.  –Charles Dickens

While the last few years have been difficult (mentioned in the last post), they have also been a sweet journey in simplicity. My husband and I have always appreciated simple aesthetics and well-made things. Even so, these years have caused us to reevaluate most every aspect of our life, and in the process we are discovering and enjoying the new ways to live with less, to prioritize what we really need and want, and how to recreate/use all we already have. For parents, simplicity only becomes more challenging, and increasingly so as children grow (having their own opinions and styles). I’ve wanted to share bits of our own journey here and somehow mark a few lessons we’re learning along the way for all of you interested or inspired by simple living.

During these transitional years, nature has been a source of comfort and restoration for me. Observing the cyclical seasons and recognizing the constants within them has helped me to appreciate the metaphorical seasons in my own life. Over the years, we have learned ways to gather, display, and enjoy the natural season within and around our home, like the images above of our home in Autumn season. Although specific aesthetics will vary home to home, the first part of simplicity is evaluating your stage/season of life so that your home can reflect and complement it.

• Who do you live with?
• What type of home or locale do you live in?
• What are the goals for your home? In other words, how do you want to use it?
• How well does your home currently reflect the way you use it?
• Do you have un/under-used space in your home?
• How do you reflect the natural world in your home? Do you? Would you like to?
• Are there things in your home working against your home life or family goals? List them.
• Are there things taking up space (physically or emotionally) that you no longer need in this season?

I encourage you to write down your answers and discuss them with whomever lives in your home. Happy weekend!