Hanging on the wall in a quaint gift shop in recent pie-baking. She stands in the doorway of a tired wooden shack, the old-fashioned baking utensils and mottled pottery are visible through the door. She is smiling; a deep, satisfied smile.
It is a wooden frame filled with the sepia image of simplicity; harkening back to a time when hard work was the norm, but meaning and satisfaction were the fruit of your labor.
It may be a romanticized vision of life “back then” but that small sign drew a lot of interest from customers.
There’s no doubt simplicity is appealing. It’s the antithesis of a culture that has our heads spinning. Stress and the lack of civility seem to be the fruit of this day and age. Images of simplicity encourage us to remember that the most meaningful things in life are not the wealth and success for which our culture entices us to strive, but those moments when we nurture joy and respect for the human spirit.
How we do that can be as simple as giving a pedestrian the thumbs-up instead of the “finger” when they cross in front of our car; taking our cell-phone conversations outside when we are in a library, restaurant, bank or book store; using the trash receptacles on the beach instead of treating the shore like an ashtray or garbage can. It can mean living with gratitude for ordinary blessings and everyday necessities.
Adapting an attitude of simplicity helps reduce stress and keeps the rude and crude part of our natures at bay. And if the media has its way, rude and crude will forever become the hallmark of the
For me, however, this little gift store, its staff and owner, reflect the gracious hospitality that is the true nature of the
