Simplicity Relished

minimalism for the adventurous heart

7 Ways to Spend More Time Outdoors

Last week, I spent a few days down in San Diego and Temecula participating in a close friend’s wedding. It was an absolutely marvelous event, and I could not be more excited for the happy couple.

But as you know, the past several months have already been quite the whirlwind. From an overseas funeral in April, to our travels in May and June, to hosting several friends and family members in June and July, our calendar has been stuffed to the brim.

Related: How to create more margin in your life

When we were in San Diego this week, we got a few hours of free time to ourselves (not least because the couple did an excellent job planning and executing their wedding). My husband Aaron suggested that we go on a hike. I was not exactly excited– instead, I immediately turned t0 excuses in my mind.

My body is tired.

I’d rather stay here (at the coffee shop).

I could do more work.

I’ll get dirty.

Needless to say, I don’t exactly possess a natural affinity for the great outdoors. There we were, on the gorgeous coastline of Southern California and I was making excuses about why we didn’t need to see it.

But I said yes, and it was the best way to interrupt a busy week in the middle of a busy month.

7 ways to spend more time outdoors- how to make the most of the benefits of nature …Continue Reading

Reader Survey! (with a gift card giveaway)

reader survey

Hey friend,

I can hardly believe that in the nearly 2 years that I’ve been blogging here, I haven’t offered a reader survey. Your feedback has been absolutely essential to my work here at Simplicity Relished, and I am excited to have formalized the process today!

In fact, I’m so excited that I created a little video…

Yep, that’s how much it means to me. I wish we could sit down to coffee and chat– I’d love to hear about what brought you here to my blog, and where in this grand journey of life you’re at.

But for now, a survey will have to do!

Take the 5-Minute Survey Now

By the way, if you’re in my email community (join it here!), you already received this survey PLUS a bonus last week. Thanks to the 50 of you who’ve already filled it out! If you haven’t filled it out yet, please do so.

And because I’m super grateful for your presence here, I’m offering a giveaway of $25 to Amazon, Noonday Collection, or a charity of your choice! You will receive an opportunity at the end of the survey to enter.

I’ll be back later this week with an extra treat. In the meantime, take a look at the top of my blog! I’ve already started honing in on the categories that I cover here at Simplicity Relished. More to come!

Thanks for being here, and I hope to hear from you.

The 6 Types Of People You Need At Your Table

Say yes, say no. We are constantly told to draw boundaries, especially in relationships.

It’s hardly enough to “be intentional” when choosing friends. It’s impossible to choose relatives. And try as we might, we find ourselves connected to, enmeshed with, and integrated into a community of imperfect individuals.

How does this often play out? We begin a friendship with sympathy, commiseration or even lust for a neighbor’s status or possessions. We then develop deeper connections– until we grow tired and impatient. The result? We claim minimalism as our mantra and declare that we “just don’t need someone like that in my life.”

6 types of people you need at your table- who to invite into your inner circle …Continue Reading

5 Ways to Relax When Your Mind Won’t Turn Off

My husband and I have enjoyed sharing meals since our very first date. We both love food, and have come to love it together– refining each other’s tastes and preferences as we explore culinary possibilities at home.

But my favorite thing about eating together is the conversation we’re able to have– that is, if my mind isn’t going 90 miles an hour. He’s gotten accusomted to pausing the conversation and asking me deliberately, “What’s on your mind?”

Most of the time, it’s easy for me to point to something: something that has nothing to do with our table conversation. Why do I do this? I’ve often wondered.

5 ways to relax when your mind won't turn off- simple practices to reduce stress easily at home …Continue Reading

5 Common Stressors To Let Go Of Today

Have you ever felt that in every situation, the same feeling of stress shows up to overwhelm? Perhaps the actual circumstances are different– and whatever is at stake varies– but you find yourself in the same hamster wheel time after time. If this is you, you’re not alone. I’ve been there, and still find myself there.

You see, circumstances can change drastically throughout different seasons of life. But as we allow the same stressors to occupy our minds, they will stick around regardless of any physical changes we try to make.

5 common stressors to let go of today- and jumpstart intentional living …Continue Reading

Why You Should Talk About Money (and how to do it effectively)

Never discuss politics or religion, many of us have been told. But what about money? To some, money shapes their politics, and it can easily become religion if we allow it to.

Most people I know refrain from discussing money in crude, numerical terms. In American culture, finance is considered personal and private. It is rude to ask people about their salaries, the price of their homes, or even the cost of their child’s tuition. We hate to divulge, so we also hate to ask.

And yet, we somehow love to talk about money– just in indirect ways. We can rarely discuss commerce without commenting on price; we’re constantly referencing what we can or can’t afford; we are, after all, living in the legacy of the leisure class and conspicuous consumption. We put rich people on television, and we somehow find their squandering of wealth entertaining.

So what’s the big deal? Why does money occupy such a strangely powerful position in our personal lives?

Why you should talk about money- and how to make your conversations successful …Continue Reading

Why We Need Rituals (and how to develop your own)

I spent this past weekend celebrating a friend’s wedding in Columbus, Ohio. If you’ve ever been involved with a wedding– yours or someone else’s– then you’re aware of all the fanfare and fuss that surround it. Not only are there standard elements in almost every wedding ceremony, but there are also rehearsal dinners, toasts, first looks, dancing, dining, and so much more. It is an event nearly defined by rituals. Marriage itself seems something entirely different.

In the whirlwind of preparation before the wedding, she and I sat in a moment of quiet reflection. We need rituals, she said. Perhaps they don’t change anything in our physical reality– but in our emotional-spiritual space, rituals occupy a lot of significance.

Why we need rituals and how to make your own …Continue Reading

How to Build Daily Gratitude Practices

Gratitude: I’m working on it. It seems that outside the month of November where Thanksgiving is nestled, our culture isn’t a particularly grateful one. We’re consumers by economy, and as a result we’re constantly told to want more, acquire more, dream of more. While there is nothing wrong with more— of the right thing, that is– it can often lead us to feel dissatisfied with our now.

Aaron and I recently decided to sponsor a child through Compassion International— a program that connects vulnerable children with people who desire to be a part of those children’s journeys. Compassion’s sponsorship program has been vetted by research after many years in operation, and I am so excited to share more about this partnership once I start learning more. Our little friend’s name is Santiago and he lives in Mexico. He’ll be turning 5 years old in June!

Back to gratitude: it’s hard to cultivate. I find that often the inspiration to be grateful is based on guilt– our lives are so much better than those of others (perhaps my life compared with Santiago’s) and I am supposed to remember to feel grateful for all the conveniences and luxuries I enjoy.

But gratitude really should not require comparing your situation with someone else’s so that yours doesn’t look so bad. Instead, it’s a manner of acknowledging that while nothing is for certain and that we are far less deserving than we seem to think, good things have come our way. Somehow, despite the offenses we’ve committed, the mistakes we’ve made, or the misfortune we’ve experienced, we still live and breathe in a world in which purpose can be found. That’s worth celebrating.

Building practices: why we need habits

If you’ve been around this blog for a while, you know that I’m a proponent of both ideological change and habitual change. Without one, we can’t really have the other. Our actions are shaped by our desires, just as our desires are shaped by our actions.

So when it comes to gratitude, I don’t think we can just wait until we “feel it.” Instead, we can train ourselves into habits that help us see the realities we hope to see– the myriad blessings in our lives, the good work to which we are called, the truth that sets us free.

how to build daily gratitude practices …Continue Reading

5 Mindset Changes That Limit Unnecessary Shopping

I have come a long way in this area. I used to be able to enter the first letter of my favorite brands into my search bar, and their full URLs would pop up. That’s how often I “window-shopped” online. Of course, said window-shopping quickly became real shopping.

There are many reasons to limit unnecessary shopping, but they might not be the ones that immediately come to mind. Avoiding unnecessary purchases can certainly save money, but saving money isn’t everyone’s highest priority. Perhaps there are things you desire more deeply than a stash of cash: courage, generosity, community, purpose, joy… and limiting your shopping can help with those things, too.

5 mindset changes that limit unnecessary spending- how to avoid shopping when you really do not need to …Continue Reading

Fullness in the Waiting

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I had promised in this Instagram post that stories and photographs from the Sahara would come out this morning, but alas– we have a surprise visitor with us tonight and I’m not quite done editing.

Recently, I’ve been thinking about why most of us hate to wait. We dislike waiting in line at the grocery store. We don’t like to wait for our meals at a restaurant. And we certainly do not enjoy waiting to hear the outcome of something in which we’re deeply invested. At the edge of our seats, completely without control over the situation, we experience a tiny bit of humiliation in the limits of our power. We already know what it is we want, but no matter how much we will we cannot make it so….Continue Reading

7 Lies That Keep You From Changing Your Life

Have you ever wanted to drastically change something about your life? Perhaps it was a habit you wanted to quit, or a habit you wanted start. Maybe you wanted to finally “grow up” in an area of your life, such as your finances, your health or your relationships. Perhaps you’re seeking to make a transition in your career or interests, but find yourself doing the same thing year after year. Why does that happen?

7 lies that keep you from changing your life-- and how to kick them to the curb …Continue Reading

5 Ways to be More Intentional with Your Time

When we were in Morocco, our guide got used to us being 10-15 minutes late to everything. Eventually, he got tired of reassuring us and we got tired of apologizing– so he told us this: “In the West you have watch. In Africa we have time.”

I can still hear his accent and see his charming smile as he calmed his weary guests. Whether he ought to have spoken for the entire continent of Africa was irrelevant– I, on the other hand, am certainly familiar with the culture of rushing, even while on vacation. What is it that we love about efficiency?

5 Ways to be More Intentional with Your Time- how to make sure each day is meaningful and productive …Continue Reading

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Disclaimer: Simplicity Relished is a for profit blog. Any company that I collaborate with is chosen by me and chosen because they fit the theme and readership of my blog. Copyright: If you see something you like here, please be encouraged to share it along with a link back to my site. All of the images and content here, unless otherwise noted or linked, is my own original work.