The simplicity of living

Gandhi said, "Live simply so that others may simply live." It''s a powerful quote that many choose to live their life by. A humble and quiet existence. Though there are many ways to accomplish this peaceful experience, I've found it to ring especially true of my time in Rwanda so far. There is the main focus of the quote, to provide others with a living adequate to meet their needs, but there is also at the core, the request to live simply. I've come to find that simple living is so much more than depriving yourself of all consumer or worldly conveniences. There is an innate contentedness and fulfillment from going back to basics. Washing clothes by hand, the monotonous repetition of scrubbing cloth against itself has such a calming effect and provides such a a sense of pride that this can be accomplished wholly by you. The same goes with getting a bucket of water, bringing it to the house, heating it up over a stove, and using it for a bath. Knowing that everyone of those actions was accomplished by you. Simple living is not a life of restriction and deprivation, but of small appreciations. I typically get 4 types of vegetables in my market. My town does not have the superfluous items such as peanut butter, frozen packaged meat, spices, and only sometimes has bread and eggs, yet cooking is a joy. Every night, deciding on the options available to me, using all my creativity, and being able to produce something delicious out of those 4 vegetables. If it is a meal I enjoyed, it might be tomorrow's dinner, and possibly the night after that as well. It isn't that I feel gypped out of choices or even that I regret that sometimes I eat the same things for 3 meals, I am satisfied that I can fulfill my basic need of food in a way that makes me happy. When friends come to visit, you actually talk to them. When you drive through the mountains, you actually see the way the sun glints off the lake while the clouds hang low over the peaks. When you walk with children, you actually feel their small cold hand sneaking into yours. When the extra stuff is stripped away, you are left with yourself. Sometimes who you see isn't as confident or as organized as you would want them to be, but you might be surprised at how content or at peace they are. You have to face your flaws and your strong points, without anyone or anything there to challenge that fact. You are able to look outside yourself as well and see the little things that make up day to day. Yes, it might mean that in one moment your anger flares up so quickly at being called mazungu again you can't imagine it being a good day, but then you stop by for tea at your friend's shop and she pours you a cup and adds the right amount of sugar because she already knows you, and that previous emotion is so quickly and completely eclipsed. I understand that clarity is fleeting and the contentment of just being here fades in and out, but I have come to realize that I have a new appreciation for Gandhi's idea of living simply.