How I Got Into – Out of – and Into Again – The Simple Living Movement

As you can imagine, I think a lot about simplicity. What it means, what it includes, and how to live and teach others to embrace it. One of the major components of simplicity is finding passion and joy in what you do every day, and since most of us work many hours of our lives, it’s crucial to find simplicity in your work, if you can.

This is a post about my path of finding simplicity again, and how it’s brought me far more joy than any traditional path has ever brought. I feel like it’s time to fully let go, and take risks.

After graduating high school and moving straight on to college, I followed the traditional path – finish in four years, study abroad, get good grades, and stay active on campus through volunteering and running clubs.

But as senior year came to a close, I knew I wanted to do something different. Sure, I could land a job in a big city and make money right away, but I yearned to do something meaningful…so I spent the first year out of college as an AmeriCorps member, making $10,000 a year. It was one of the best years of my life – I felt fulfilled with my work, I loved my colleagues, and fell in love with Vermont. The money didn’t matter.

When my year of service ended, I explored other, safer paths, and landed one, working at a non-profit organization in a job with health insurance. Following the typical, but not necessarily what I wanted.

I was unfulfilled, so I quit and left. And spent a lot of time thinking about what made me feel satisfied in my work.

I bought a copy of the Backdoor Guide to Short-Term Job Adventures, which was loaded with all kinds of unusual experiences and adventures, from teaching abroad to interning with arts organizations to organic farming. It was my bible, in a way, for the next two years, when I spent time doing things like:

• Volunteering for a month at Kripalu, a yoga center in the Berkshires. I learned how to do yoga, got free room and board, cleaned a lot of toilets, made fun friends, and ate delicious organic, vegetarian food.
• Traveling for a few weeks in southern and northern California to visit several good friends.
• Interning at an organic, biodynamic farm for a semester, learning how to teach children to value where there food comes from.
• Working at a family-owned jewelry store for the holidays while living with my parents to save up money to travel.
• Traveling to India and Nepal with a good friend, then staying on in India for an extra month to volunteer.
• Teaching environmental and outdoor education at seasonal centers and camps, where I’d get free room and board plus a weekly stipend to do what I love.

And then I settled into the Berkshires. I got involved in a relationship, and wanted to stay nearby.

So what did I do? I followed societal norms, and lost track of my dreams and passions. I spent the next several years working in public education while getting an education master’s degree. I sort of fell into it. It was safe – it brought health insurance, job security, and people around me were satisfied. I was doing something others thought I was good at. But it wasn’t me. I didn’t feel settled with this path.

Then it all changed…last year, I was a classroom teacher in a subject I was not certified in to teach. At the end of the year, my one-year teaching waiver was up, and I was out of a job.

It was a blessing. I spent the summer waiting tables part-time, saving money just in case.

I still don’t have a job. As I look for something to pay the bills, I’m doing things that I love, and rediscovering my passions again:

• I’ve gotten back into a regular yoga practice. (Which I had abandoned for a few years.)
• I go for a walk nearly every day.
• I write for at least two hours every weekday, on blog posts and an eBook that’s in the works.
• I read every day, something I barely did for pleasure in grad school and while teaching. I’m on my way to have read one book a week this year.

And I’m thinking back to the most positive work, internship, and volunteer experiences from my life, to make decisions for my future. I’m feeling more relaxed, more healthy, and more at peace than I have for a long time.

I don’t want to get rich. I don’t worry too much about having a job that provides health insurance (partly because I live in MA). I want to be able to afford my basic needs plus a few luxuries, like travel, yoga classes, and organic food.

In all honesty, I’d much rather spend this winter working at a ski resort to get better at skiing and to continue putting energy into my writing and passions, than go back to a typical 9-5 job. For now anyway. Every day is a new day, bringing new thoughts, dreams, and ideas.

What path are you on now, and what are your dreams?

Thank you to all of the bloggers out there who inspired me to break out and be free and honest by writing this post: Tammy, Seth, Tyler, Nina, Everett, Gwen, Elise, Dusti, and Elizabeth.

 

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