Tis A Gift To Be Simple

Simple Gifts Lyrics

Joseph Brackett (1797–1882)
Shaker dancing song

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

  'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd,

  To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

  Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.

Do you know this song? When I was a kid, my parents drove me all the way back to Church every Sunday evening for the kids choir practice. We sung this song at one point, and it rolls around in my head and comes back every so often. Do you think it has shaped me? Do you think it's why I strive for simplicity and even wanted to change my blog name to include the word "simple?" 

Who knows! Who knows if it has been subtle, subconscious messaging, but I do know when we hear negative words for years we learn to embrace them, so the same should go for positive. 

When I think about simple, I think about my Grandma Millie who never boasted, never needed grandeur, but lead a life that anyone can admire. In the eyes of her children and grandchildren, she was, and still is, the model to live up to; simple, healthy, humble, generous in her quiet way. She didn't care about keeping up with TV shows, fashion, gadgets, or material possessions. She cared about people, and being there for her family. I think about contentment, and how contentment over "happiness" or "joyful" is the goal.  We're not always going to be happy or joyful, crap happens, but we can cultivate contentment. 

When I think about simple, for me right now, it's spending time with my kids, undistracted time. It's keeping the house, and making meals, it's having unstructured time on most evenings and weekends. It's connecting with friends and family in a meaningful way and being present. This is not always easy. This is almost never easy. But is is quite simple. When you decide what is going to come first, the rest needs to take a back seat. And on that note, the kids are awake now, so I must go. 💙