Simplicity

~Tis a gift to be simple, 

Tis a gift to be free, 

Tis a gift to get down where you ought to be

And when you are in the place just right, 

You will be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained, 

To bow and to break we will not be ashamed

To turn, to turn and will be our delight 

Till by turning, turning we turn round right. ~

I just spent the last hour in my second attempt to start "scrap-booking" my past. I'm usually violently opposed to participating in old lady crafts and trendy habits (it is the artist child within, this does not squelch my love for these creations made by others.) However, my more anal and minimalist nature desires to make a tidy and artistic creation out of my two boxes of memories. I have long ago decided to never become a pack-rat and usually take on the neurotic antithesis of this habit. I throw everything away; however, my nastalgic side consistently battles this neurosis and has allowed me these two boxes of memories.

Sorting through these boxes reminds me why people become pack rats. The memories remind us of the past and stop us in our every day hustle to remind us of moments when life was more simple or just to remind us of all we have been through. Our brains become so overloaded that we seldom stop from our current worries to remember our past loves, experiences, and lessons. When rumaging, I realized how I'd gotten through so many stressful times and am left today relatively unscathed despite how much worry I put into the situation at the time. The artifacts from past events do not bring up worry about the past, but remind me of the more important emotions of the memories. Even if the memories are sad ones, I realize that the sadness may resurface, but I have moved past it. This reminded me that any current sadness that we may experience, really does get better with time.  For example, I read a very emotional goodbye letter from a time when someone I loved most dearly chose a path that would keep me and her apart for a very long time. A path that also left me feeling hurt and abandoned. But when reading the letter, I saw it through less selfish eyes, becaue the pain of the moment had clouded me in the past, but the pain had subsided and I instead saw the love in the letter.

In these two boxes, I found many things. Things that made me laugh, things that made me cry (from both joy and sorrow), and most importantly I found strength. Most of the items were pictures, letters, or other trinkets from people that are or have been very important in my life. The tears streaming down my face reminded me that life really is about the people in our lives. Without these people our memories would mean nothing. In the crazy world we live in, this simple fact often becomes complicated by stress, selfishness, and fear.

The most beautiful thing that I found in this box, was a handwritten copy of the song above. I believe it was hand written by one of my father's sisters, but I don't know how it ended up in this box. This song encompasses all of the memories, because it is not the box of tangible objects that are important, but the simplicity that can be found when looking back at a memory. This simplicity reminds me that I need to enjoy this more in the present rather than having to look back on the past to discover it. I guess this is what this project is truly about, "getting in that place just right" and finding the valley of "love and delight".

Alas, no scrap booking was accomplished, but I'm working diligently not to care. Because the memories are worth far more than my neurotic desire to have my memories more perfectly preserved. Simplicity is most certainly not about perfection. I can't wait; however, until I've done this enough times to finally get past the memories and start the project so I can more easily share pictures and memories with others. (and to make the many moves I anticipate in the future a little easier ;) )