What We're Working For

I found myself with a lot of time by myself as The Boy and I were driving back from Houston with our new-to-us antique piano. He, after all, was driving the UHaul truck and I was following behind in our car.

At his suggestion, I listened to podcasts of “the shows (I) like to listen to” that he doesn’t care for. Those, by the way, are A Way With Words and A Splendid Table. He doesn’t care for the notion that the rules for the English language are so easily changed (the former) and he doesn’t care for the pace of the interviews (the latter).

I love both. And A Splendid Table hosted a fascinating interview with Lucinda Scala Quinn, executive food editor for Martha Stewart Living Omnivision (Martha Stewart’s media empire).

In the midst of cooking and chatting about balancing life and home with the demands of work and others, Lucinda said:

“It seems to me

that we work all these years

to get back to simplicity.”

How true.

I’ve been thinking about how my life seems to go in cycles:

• Busy-busy-busy. Frenetic. Wide-ranging.
• Until I need a change. Then…
• Quiet-slower-smaller. No’s. Close to home.
• Until I need another change. Then off I run again.

The interesting part of all of this is that I’m finding as I grow older that I want more of the slow in my life and less of the busy.

I want fewer groups of people and more deep friendships.

I want less activity and more meaning.

I want less “spendy” and more quality.

Where are you in your life cycle? Am I alone in craving simplicity?