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I understand the value to one’s health of the simple life, but I think I would be bored to death. Also, unless people learn and read of the vast changes taking place today in our society, I fear we will wake up one day and not recognize our country.
I love my microwave, iPad, and Netflix movies, but we still very much enjoy going to an actual movie theater. It brings back our dating days!
For me keeping it simple involves an iPad lol! I don’t clutter the house with drawing pads and pencils because I can sketch to my hearts content on the pad. I don’t buy books because I can read on my kindle app on my iPad. I don’t have newspapers delivered because I can read my subscriptions online.
Materially we downsized to half the size house we had last year.
Since using an oven boosts the house temp during very hot weather in az I find a slow cooker and microwave absolute essential kitchen appliances. We quit cable and tv programming completely last year but we have Netflix and I can always watch my fave shows or movies on my iPad while I lounge in the pool.
“keeping it simple” means different things to different people, no right way or wrong way.
Interesting. I'm the opposite. Nothing more calming than an actual book or newspaper. I never owned an ipad or anything like that. That to me is too stressful.
At forty-one, I'm just under half your age, but I've lived most of my adult life as you do.
I have a small microwave that lives in a cupboard for visitors to use, but I rarely use it myself as I like to cook from scratch. When I was a renter, I had one that I'd inherited from my parents; when I was married, the microwaves came with the houses that we owned. I use my grandmother's Mirro pressure pan at least once a week and make popcorn either on the stovetop or in an air popper that I bought at a yard sale in 1994 to use in my college dorm room.
I didn't have the internet at home until I married. (Couldn't get the internet back then without having either a landline or cable--I had neither.) I used the computers at library or at work when I required access. Obviously, I now have a computer and internet access at home. I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of the computer. It's been a great additional resource for home repairs, news, information, entertainment, and for keeping in touch with friends and family.
I finally got my first smartphone last year when my old phone had broken. A friend gave me one of his old ones that had been gathering dust in his desk drawer for the past few years. He wouldn't take any money for it, so I treated him to dinner the next time we saw each other in person. The thought that phones are now pricey enough to warrant payments(!) boggles my mind even though I could afford to buy one outright.
The cable cord was disconnected when I sold my last house. The Roku that I received as a housewarming gift suits me well. The library around the corner from me has a great selection of books, music and movies for free, so I don't lack for media entertainment.
NPR's on the work radio in the morning until my boss arrives; on Sundays, it's on all day so I can listen to the weekend news and special programming while I work.
Life's good here--all needs are met, I enjoy my work, my family, most of my neighbors and coworkers and there are a few luxuries to be savored here and there. There are still things that I'd like to do and have and I wish that money could buy more hours in a day, but I cannot think of any expensive tchotchke that could give me more contentment.
You say burgh, could that be short for pittsburgh? If so I was born and raised in that area. Came to CA in the mid 60's...
For me NPR is great and during my hectic busy life I had no clue about NPR...now so much good stuff and have it on most of the day.
I don't need much and have a lot as it is and pretty practical but not cheap...and I'm sure it's due to when I was born, my bro and sis (now gone) were much more spendthrifts than I was, they are younger.
If by simple you mean not embracing the latest technology than no, I do not keep my life simple. I use iPads, iPhones, have a TV with cable, surf the internet on my desktop since it was available to the masses, use various apps on my phone to make my life more convenient, etc. Like a lot of people I want to experience the new things and see if I like them, or not. I'll don't think it makes my life more complicated, in fact it could actually make my life simpler by making everything more convenient. Ex. having a microwave means I don't need to spend as much time cooking, which I hate. For me it's all about what makes me happy. If I don't like something I won't use it. But if I don't even try I may be missing out on something that I might like.
Yes, Pittsburgh is my adopted hometown. Good educated guess, Jaminhealth! I moved here from Ohio after college in the late nineties, kept finding good work and liked the area, so I decided to stay.
NPR's been a part of my morning and afternoons since I was a child as both of my parents were avid listeners of the local station. When Carl Castle died, it was almost like losing one of my older childhood neighbors---his voice had been a part of my world for most of my living memory.
I'm the youngest of three children. All three of us tend to live in much the same manner, i.e., like having nice things and life experiences, but we don't tend to spend our money unwisely. Our parents (war babies rather than boomers) and grandparents handled money in much the same manner, so perhaps our financial and lifestyle habits were part of our "inheritance" from them.
The microwave's a convenience, but I didn't miss having one during the two years that I didn't have one in the house.
I think I live a fairly simple life. While I do have an iPhone it's because I don't have a landline. I also have a very old laptop which is what I use to post on C-D. I don't have cable, just an antenna so I wind up watching a lot of old, really old TV shows during the summer especially.
I have a small 2 bedroom house, I drive a non-descript 4 door sedan, have a cat and dog and am pretty much a homebody. I rarely go out at night, I don't drink, quit smoking years ago and I eat mostly healthy. Pretty simple and sometimes a bit boring I admit.
Guess it depends on someone's definition of "simple". One person's overly-cluttered life would bore another person to sobs; they couldn't escape it fast enough. What one person might fill their waking hours doing another person wouldn't waste an hour on. Someone might live in a simple efficiency apartment, eat simply, dress simply, own few gadgets, prefer a straightforward uncomplicated working life, live alone, but indulge in and get a lot of joy out of frequent, complicated pleasure travel or participate in the arts. What satisfies a person at one age isn't necessarily going to satisfy them at another.
I believe "true simplicity" is mental, not physical. A person can fill their mind with all sorts of conspiracy theories, campaigns, fears, plots, deceptions, suspicions, judgments, or expound their grandiose opinions as truth, but own nothing and live in a 6'X8' cardboard box under a bridge.
Agree with this, I especially like the bolded perspective.
Not gonna lie, we have a lot of clutter and I'm not in contention for any "simple life" awards anytime in the foreseeable future.
I can't imagine not having a microwave. Having to prepare everything in the stove or oven would add several levels of complication to my existence.
The key is to have the technology you need to accomplish what you want. I don't have an iPad or a lot of other gadgets b/c I don't have a use for them. However, I use my mp3 player and smartphone extensively. The portable internet has opened up so many opportunities and ease of communication for me that I could never have dreamed of as a child.
I don't think I would ever achieve, or strive for a life that anyone would define as "truly simple". There are too many things in this world that interest me that I already don't have the time/money/energy for. Having said that, I am also very deliberate about avoiding or refusing things that don't interest me (golf, popular TV shows, etc).
Interesting. I'm the opposite. Nothing more calming than an actual book or newspaper. I never owned an ipad or anything like that. That to me is too stressful.
Calming comes in many ways . I find drawing, or painting, or doing embroidery very calming.
Agree with this, I especially like the bolded perspective.
Not gonna lie, we have a lot of clutter and I'm not in contention for any "simple life" awards anytime in the foreseeable future.
I can't imagine not having a microwave. Having to prepare everything in the stove or oven would add several levels of complication to my existence.
The key is to have the technology you need to accomplish what you want. I don't have an iPad or a lot of other gadgets b/c I don't have a use for them. However, I use my mp3 player and smartphone extensively. The portable internet has opened up so many opportunities and ease of communication for me that I could never have dreamed of as a child.
I don't think I would ever achieve, or strive for a life that anyone would define as "truly simple". There are too many things in this world that interest me that I already don't have the time/money/energy for. Having said that, I am also very deliberate about avoiding or refusing things that don't interest me (golf, popular TV shows, etc).
For me simplifying my life is cooking large batches in the slow cooker and then using the microwave to reheat.
I also agree with parnassia, that true simplicity is mental and not physical. I can spend hours getting totally lost working on my art and not realize how many hours had passed or weather permitting (bit hot at the moment in pheonix) do what aboriginal people of Australia call dadirri. https://www.creativespirits.info/abo...tening-dadirri
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. I find drawing, or painting, or doing embroidery very calming.
