3/19/2012 Simplicity and Peace

Freedom is the thing I most appreciate about my life here.  I realized last night that for the first time in my adult life, I do not have a written 'to do' list.  Indeed, I don't even have a mental list of things that need to be accomplished.

I don't have grass to cut, a driveway to shovel, or a work schedule to obey.
At the moment, I don't have errands to run, bills to pay, dirty laundry, or even a pile of newspaper clippings, magazine articles and misc. accumulated mail. My house is clean and I can do whatever I please. I have no unread emails, no calls to return.

Sort of what I thought it would be like when I grew up and could do whatever I pleased.  Instead, responsibilities in our adulthood take over, don't they? 

It's so wonderful to not have to rush.  I can pay attention to the task at hand and not worry about what I perceive needs to be done next.  I wonder how many of those 'to do' items I accomplished over my lifetime truly needed to be done? How many were necessary and how many were just busy-ness? 

But it matters not.... I have achieved my goal ~ to "be a human being instead of a human doing".  Yipee!  

I am at peace and have a smile on my face.  I can relax, and breathe, and think and read.  

I'm loving my slow pace here; reading books, hiking, snorkeling, dancing, practicing yoga, beach combing and kayaking. 

I'm still watching my pennies and happy to report that I will be getting a refund from both state and federal taxes.  I even learned that I have a few bucks in an old forgotten HSA account.  All good stuff, because every dollar saved, or found, equates to a little more time on Kauai.

Sometimes I wonder if I would be able to maintain this new found relaxed lifestyle on the mainland, or if I would quickly become pulled back into the hectic, rushed pace that I once thought was necessary?   Now, I feel like I am actually living my life, not rushing through it and missing most of what passed by in a blur. 

I'm very appreciative of my life here. I don't regret giving up the career, the 3b/3b house, and all the corresponding responsibilities. 

A good friend recently told me that I had thrown a proverbial pebble into the pond and am causing ripples in some friends' lives and the decisions they are making.  I hope that is true only in a positive sense.  I hope my choices / sacrifices have caused family and friends to recognize that it IS possible to slow down and enjoy one's life instead of rushing through it.  

"Stuff" is just stuff; meaningless really once one has a roof overhead and food on the table.  Living one's life to please others can be admirable, but it can also steal your own precious time and happiness. I'm glad I recognized that it was time for me to move on and seek happiness now, while I am healthy and relatively young, instead of waiting for a vague 'someday' that might never have arrived.

No longer will I waste time on accumulating "stuff", building / buying a bigger house, climbing the corporate ladder, pleasing people who will never be pleased, and working on endless projects.

I am very happy to say that this song no longer applicable to my life; "Responsibility", by Steve Forbert. ~  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQWqtgQ0AaI

I hope that if I do have any impact on others' lives, it is a reminder to pause and think about who, and where, you truly want to be. Time's a ticking..... 

I'm off to dangle my feet in the community pool and read a 'fluff' library book. Then, off to a freebie concert of native Hawaiian music and hula dancing.

Hugs and Much Aloha ~ K


PS ~ Congratulations to Marilyn and Rick & Happy Birthday to Jordan!