Simplify: There is a light at the end of the tunnel

Shawn Tuttle

You don’t have to surrender to an increasingly complicated world

   One of the most common conversations I hear around town hinges on a variation of simplifying: "Everything is so complicated! I need to simplify!"
   While this sentiment grew steadily through the late '90s, it has become the topic du jour now that we are in the Crises Era (economy, health care, state budget, housing, etc).
  While it's so easy to say simplify, I find it fascinating how much this little word encompasses.
  What does it mean to simplify? Ask 10 people and you will get 10 different answers. Do we talk in terms of the realms we can simplify: time, activities, stuff? Or do we talk in terms of results: more free time, less stress, peace of mind?
   Or, perhaps, we can take guidance from Satish Kumar, editor of Resurgence: “It’s about less ego and more imagination, less complication and more creativity, less glamour and more gratitude, less attention to appearance and more attention to essence.”
  We are living in such an amazing time. You've been here watching it all unfold. When we look at our recent past, painful stories of unchecked growth take the forefront.
 On the personal level, we are feeling the pain of excess. Too much stuff, too many responsibilities, too many bills, too much stress.
 The pendulum has swung out mightily; it's time to rediscover our centers. And in that place within, we will find peace with the world, respect for each other, gratitude for all we have and acceptance of what we have created.
 This is the underlying desire I hear when people say: "Everything is so complicated! I need to simplify!"
  With that declaration, the journey to simplify begins.

 The urge to purge, the willingness to let go of whatever is no longer useful and the desire to slough off the old will follow. And then we dig and scrape and wipe out the muck until all that's left is a clear, shiny reflection smiling right back at us.
  We can complain over the unfairness of last year's lifestyle being taken away from us. We can either quake in fear of the unknown that looms ahead, or not. This is a choice we get to make.
  We can move forward with a new perspective. We can look to the horizon of our own souls and consider that we are at the dawn of a new day. We can celebrate the essence of life lived to the fullest, roll up our sleeves and simplify!

Simplify is a column written by Shawn Tuttle, the Chief Simplifier at Project Simplify and resident of Nevada City for more than five years. Years of organizing homes and offices has shown me that in the midst of the biggest messes, there is a common element that allows for a transformation of your space: the willingness to let go of the habits that created the mess. My column explores how this same motivation might shape our futures -- both on personal and community levels. She can be reached by going to projectsimplify.com or by calling 530-205-5775.