Any situation, however hopeless or painful, can be reversed or alleviated by a change in attitude. I believe that living a life of simplicity is far more than a frugal lifestyle of penny pinching or finding a great bargain at a yard sale. Simplicity, in the deepest sense, means throwing every form of dark and weighty ballast overboard, and like the balloonist, rising higher toward the light. This process, while often painful, gets easier with practice. As we put priorities in order, our lives are filled with service, joy and dedicated focus.
Simplicity is never as simple as it sounds.
It requires a childlike approach to the universe, a sense of awe and gratitude, the discarding of worldly desires, false pretenses, the praise of men, and every other form of vanity and excess materialism. True simplicity requires that we forgive others and stop wasting our personal energy wallowing in past hurts and injustices. To live a life of honest simplicity has implications that extend light years beyond Webster's definitions and calls forth the very best we have to offer. Today, it is common to speak of the inner child and the needs of that child that went unmet by parents, care givers, relatives and teachers. If we truly want to do that inner child of ours justice, we need to learn to forgive as easily and completely as a child would, thereby freeing us of the smothering emotional burdens that cloud our true purpose and identity.