H is for Home, Not House: A-Z of Simple Living
This January, we're taking an in-depth look at the why and how of simplicity with the A-Z of Simple Living. If you want to make 2015 the year you create a simpler, slower life, why not join us?
When I started this blog it really should have been called Slow Your House, because that's all I focused on. Four walls, a roof and the stuff in between.I wasn't in a good place in myself and wasn't mentally prepared to take on the emotional clutter I was lugging around. So instead I focused solely on what was in my control - our surrounding environment.I worked on creating an environment that was:
- organised
- decluttered
- simplified
- decorated mindfully
- light and airy
- eco-conscious
Looking back, I was working on our house. Not our home.
"Home Is Where the Heart Is"
If that old adage is true, I wasn't working on my home at all, because I wasn't working on my heart. My heart certainly wasn't in the stacks of papers I decluttered, or the boxes of clothes I donated. My heart was, and still is:
- family
- relationships
- memories
- health
- creativity
- spirituality
- travel
- adventure
Home is safety. Home is warmth. Home is comfort. Home is support. Yes, home is also the four walls and roof of the building we live in. Home is the kitchen, the garden and the belongings we've collected over the years.But as long as those important things - family, relationships, health, spirituality - make up the majority of your home, then you carry that security and warmth and support with you wherever you go.Home can't burn down. Home can't get left behind. Home is completely portable. Home is in you.The stuff that we assign so much importance to - the house, the garden, the clothes, the television sets and pools and cars - it's not your home. And realising that simple truth is a huge part of the simple living journey.It's also a huge part of finding happiness.Just a reminder that A Simple Year registration closes in just over 24 hours. If you'd like to register and make 2015 the year you create a simpler, slower life check out the details and register here at simpleyear.co.