Travel Inspires Simple Living

image from Elle Decor by William Waldron

It's nearing the end of March. Spring is blossoming and with it so many dreams for the coming summer. We dream of trips, picnics, barbecues, sitting outside talking with friends, late sunsets, summer holiday festivities. There is so much promise when one looks ahead to summer. Around this time of the year I usually get a big itch to travel somewhere relaxing, quiet and away from the daily buzz. This year is no different.

I've been thinking about two trips I have taken to Mexico. One of the things I loved best about these trips is that every day was our own, without any big plans. The thing I remember best about these two trips was how much I loved the large, simple closets in the places I stayed and what I had in those closets.

The contents of my travel closets were exactly what I would wish for in every day living. There were a couple of dresses, skirts, shorts, crisp white linen or cotton tops and several swimsuits, board shorts and tanks and tees. A few things hung on hangers, mostly just so they would dry out and the rest folded on large open shelves. On the floor were a couple of pairs of sandals, snorkeling fins and mask.

Meals were simple, often salads, days were quiet with smatterings of reading and good conversation. Showers were cool and without any rush, hair could air dry. Sunkissed faces required only a dash of lip gloss and a couple of swipes of mascara for evenings to look fabulous, happy and relaxed.

It was a simple life and I loved it. Makes a person realize that it doesn't take much to make a person happy. How did our world get to a place of such busy craziness? Doesn't it make you want to chuck it all out the window, all the stuff that owns you and move to an island?

It really makes me think twice about how hard we sometimes make life by our consumerism, perfectionism, competitiveness and misguided sense of needs and priority. Yes, life requires work, money and a certain sense of stability but how much simpler could life be? Does it make you think about simplifying your life?