Simplicity

Awhile ago, a friend of mine (www.mainegirl.blogspot.com) posted a pic of her daughter’s birthday. She turned 11 and wanted a special cake that is a tradition in her family and then wanted to turn all the lights off and pretend they didn’t have electricity and hang out by the fire. Lindsay wrote, “may she always be content with simplicity.”

I have thought about our experience here in Africa and what I would hope for my children as a result. I want to them to realize that they could take risks in their lives and face challenges and that they could meet those events with confidence. I want them to have a concrete understanding of how most of the world lives every day—and it’s not like their lives in Bloomington. I want them to see how people have faith in God when they have almost nothing. I want them to see that the world is much bigger and far more interesting than just the borders of the United States. I want them to be able to say “yeah, I’ll go there and do that” because they know they can.

But I decided that Lindsay’s wish for her daughter is at the top of my list for my own children. Daily we fight a losing battle with acquisition and keeping up and we invent all sorts of reasons why we do it. We say that the kids can’t compete well if we don’t start them early. We say that our lives will be enriched if we have that whatever-it-is. We say that we’ll make that time for something later. Maybe that’s true, sometimes. But I think it probably isn’t. And we’ve fallen victim to it as much as anyone. But here I’ve heard the repeated message from families that, despite the challenges and hardships, their quality of life is better here than back home. It’s the upside to the frustratingly slow and inefficient way things often get done here.

So, good work, Lindsay! You’re on the right track. Thanks for the inspiration.

Simplicity—it’s not just for the Amish anymore.