I'm not asking if you are happy with your life, I hope you all are. What I want to know is are you living your ideal simple life or is that still in progress?

In my simple life vision, I imagine making all our meals from healthy, homemade, homegrown ingredients. I imagine fixing everything with my needle and thread. I imagine finding everything I need in my home, not because I have a lot of stuff, but because I don't NEED a lot. My ideal simple life is definitely in progress.

I did put a patch on dh's jeans this weekend. That was great. I've always had the skill to do this, but never have. For some reason I felt it easier to drive 60 miles round trip to a crowded mall and spend $20 on a new pair of jeans. When I was sewing the patch on (it was in the crotch area and didn't work with the sewing machine) he sat on the couch beside me and we chatted and laughed and watched the boys play. I don't think it gets much more simpler than that!

I am definetely on my way. I have really been decluttering my life and really learning what is most important to me. These forums have really helped and appreciate all of the advice and suggestions from each of you!

I figure that I am 80% there. It feels great! The hardest part was the first couple of years. I knew I was on the right path, but the goal was kind of fuzzy. I wasn't sure how much simplicity I really wanted. Now it is easier to judge what is right for me.

Cathleen

I love your vision for a simple life. I'd love that too. I dream big, of growing my own food, making everything from scratch, eliminating all packaged goods, learning to sew, having a house powered by solar or wind energy. I am no where near that yet. It's a process. I've come a long way in 12 years since I started this journey but I have a long way to go.

I think it would really help to find simple living mentors that have are successfully and joyfully living the simple life. Our friends often look to us to advice on this but we feel like we need someone further along the journey to inspire us.

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I am a work in progress!

I agree it would be nice to have a simple living mentor. It seems around here everything is about convenience, no matter what is being done to the earth, our health or sanity.

I'm growing and learning every day. The garden gets bigger each year, and I'm planting more fruit trees. I already have 3 apple trees, 1 plum, 2 pear, 5 blueberry bushes. This year I'm putting in 2 peach trees and 3 grape vines and an asparagus bed.

I can judge my progress by how wierd my sister thinks I am. She works long days at a stressful job, never cooks (they always eat out or order food), and any free time is spent shopping. Her kids have lots of things, but see very little of their mom.

I could have written the same post about my SIL. They do think we're weird.

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I judge my progress in the same way! I use my stepdaughter, Stacey as my weird factor, LOL.

Sadly for us it is my kids who think we are weird. Our lifestyle and our politics make us way out of the mainstream. My grown daughter vaguely understands (and rejects) simplicity, but hasn't any notion what or why we embrace non-aggression.

Cathleen