Living Simply

This week I took several walks with Melody.  Slow walks.  REALLY slow walks.  We barely made it from the house. But, that is her speed in her braces and equipment.  I know she’ll get faster, but she’ll always move slowly.  We saw every car that went by, every bird, every flower, and every plant.  We listened to the noise our feet made on the sidewalk, rocks and metal drain covers.  We talked and laughed and didn’t accomplish a thing on my to-do list.  How often do I live this simply?  Savor each little moment?  Not often enough.

Yesterday I took a few kids to the park and while we were playing tennis, we noticed a baseball game going on.  It soon brought tears to my eyes when I saw players in wheelchairs and began to notice other players with special needs.  Each one had a helper with them.  Every play was slower, every accomplishment was celebrated, and I never saw anyone called out.  It was slower, simpler.  I never heard or saw a parent screaming at their kid.  I saw a TON of encouragement.  The umpires were cheered and encouraged as they encouraged the players.

Simplicity seems to be a buzz word lately.  We all wonder how we could simplify our lives.  Yet, what are the things that make us slow down?  Savor more.  Rush less?  Often it is when we are FORCED to move slower and savor more.  When a tragedy causes us to consider life more sacredly.

I’m convinced that God made special people with special gifts for just this reason.  To slow us down and help us see life from a different perspective.  Anyone who knows such a special person will tell you how that person has influenced their life and allowed them to see things from a different perspective.

This is one of the many reasons the astronomically high abortion rates of children with birth “defects” horrifies me.  What we have labeled a defect is the exact thing we spend our lives searching for.  We wonder why we can’t live simply, but we have devalued those that do.  Those that can help us learn to enjoy living more slowly, simply. 

Perhaps the ones who are living, REALLY LIVING, are the ones our society has said have lives that aren’t worth living. 

Maybe those who live simply aren't so simple after all.  Maybe the reason God made them isn't so simple after all.  It might just be one of the most complex reasons of all.