Present Simplicity

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
- Leonardo da Vinci, Italian Painter and Sculptor

One of the major reasons I made my childhood dream come true of moving to Montana come true sooner rather than later was to simplify my life. While I know I thrive the more gigs I have going (guests, horses, blogging on, on), it’s more on a relaxed , simpler level.

If you really think about it, we don’t need much to survive. That’s not to say that I’m telling you to sell all your material possessions and live in the mountains to hunt your own food. I’m just saying humans have a tendency to overcomplicate their lives without even knowing it and as a result, feel overwhelmed with everything going on in their lives.

This is where simplicity comes into play. So much can be said for living a simple life.

You get stuck in this circle of life where you’re almost on a merry go round and operating on automatic. Most of us have been conditioned by the media, advertising, and society in general to live lives according to their standards. We have been conditioned to equate success with the purchase of certain material possessions or the obtainment of certain jobs. When we live by the standards set by those outside of us, we get overwhelmed with all the things in our life simply because we are not living our own life – we are living the lives of others.

People stuck in this “cycle” live lives that involve buying material possessions in an effort to alleviate that gnawing feeling they have inside themselves and to fill that meaningless void within as well. When they find those things don’t work, they find themselves stuck with a problem in that they’ve traveled too deep in this journey to the point where turning back would mean losing face to those around them, so they continue this façade to fulfill the expectations of those around them, instead of their own. That void, that empty feeling they possess is a result of living lives of purpose given to them by those outside of them. Been there done that… ugh

1. Simplifying your life allows you to have the opportunity to fill that void by giving you the time and resources to figure out what you truly want to do.

2. And if you have figured out what you truly want to do, simplifying your life will give you the time and resources to do it.

Especially since moving to Montana, moving towards self-sufficiency feels great spiritually and environmentally. There is a movement towards self-sufficiency in North America, with many families taking steps towards sustainable living. The practice of consuming only homegrown foods and the trend towards organic clothing and gardening are forms of sustainable living and self-sufficiency.

Probably the greatest thing you’ll find after you figure out what you want to do, is that more often than not, you will continue to lead a simple life. Your purpose in life overrides any of those things that tend to complicate our lives. Our purpose becomes more important than the latest car, gadet, whatever and we become content with the things we have that allow us to live our purpose.

Most people are super busy busy, confined almost every moment to the indoors at school and work, and on weekends so burdened with shopping and chores that like-it-or-not (and I don’t) we are becoming more and more disconnected from the natural world. We simply can’t get outdoors enough! And the problem is different for different age groups. For example, my almost eighty two year -year-old mother loves to walk… she’s out there communing with nature pretty much come hell or high water. Nothing beats a day on the horses (even those shall we say challenging rides?) We all need inspiration on this one, as parents (teenagers, anyone?), for ourselves, to help those who are aging:

Kids
1. Do an outdoor activity outdoors that requires that they get dirty (such as playing in the mud)
2. Take wildlife-watching walks
3. Take a trip to a working farm

Adults
1. Go camping
2. Spend time outdoors gardening, taking walks, picnicing–whatever suits
3. Connect to your local farms or farmers’ markets

I shall remind myself of “present simplicity” as I prepare a Shabbos Challah. This one’s hearty and, whole-grain.

You will need:
4 cups warm water
3 TBSP dry yeast
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
4 eggs
12-13 cups whole wheat flour (or a combination of flours)
1 Tbsp. kosher salt

Stir together 4 Cups Warm Water & 3 Tbsp of dry yeast.

Add:
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
4 eggs

Stir in 5 cups of flour. Let the mixture rest for about 45 min to an hour until it bubbles. This is the first rising.

After one hour, add 1 TBSP course salt and stir in about 7 more cups of flour (I use whole wheat). Lightly flour a board and knead dough 7-10 minutes until mixed. As you work, add only as much flour as necessary to allow you to handle the dough.

(Want to avoid a mess? Do the kneading on your kitchen table, but put one of those clear shabbos tablecloth covers over the table first. Then put down a wet towel with a board over it. The wet towel will help avoid the board slipping)

Separate challah and lightly grease pans. Shape the dough into loaves and rolls. Place the loaves in the pans and let rise 45 min to 1 hour.

Brush loaves with beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds if desired. Bake until brown, 45-50 minutes for loaves. Remove from pans and cool on racks

This recipe is inspired by the “Easy Whole Wheat Challah” recipe in The Spice and Spirit of Kosher-Jewish Cooking
Trot on friends, trot on.

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage
Anais Nin