“I need to simplify my life. I just have too much to do between my job, my daughter and this house.”

- Cynthia LaRoche

It’s Simply a Great Life

This week has been a lesson in simplification for me. It started as I drove with my friend Jonathan Cohen to a meeting. During our drive, we talked about our families and how they were doing. He has a great family and it is the center of his life. Perhaps the capstone of our conversation was when he told me how lucky he is to be able to count on his immediate and extended family for the support he needs in life.

There are lots of demands on our lives these days and I think most of us are feeling a little worn out by everything we have to do. I know from talking with Jonathan that he’s grateful for the closeness of his family and how much strength they provide him in every area of his life.
“I look around me and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have a father who is so close to me,” Jonathan said. His mother passed away when his was about twenty and it turned into a great opportunity for him to really get to know his father. That friendship has continued to grow as they have entered into new phases of life.

All of us will go through differing phases as we move into the future, so it’s important for us to keep our eye on what is of the highest importance. My friend Cynthia LaRoche was describing this to me yesterday. She recently adopted her young daughter and it has allowed her to explore a fresh take on her life. “Now that we have Brittany, I need to simplify my life,” she told me.

It was great to sit in the middle of Cynthia’s life for just a few minutes. There we were, surrounded by the things of importance; a black cat that jumped up on the table in front of me and swooshed his tale across my nose; a chocolate lab who stuck his nose up toward that same table, just hoping to have a taste of pizza, and then there was Brittany, sliding along the wooden floor perched on top of two enormous, round plastic disks. When her friend asked her, “What are those,” Brittany simply exclaimed, “They’re my shoes!”

To one less experienced, this may have looked as if it were life on the edge of chaos. But to me, it was most decidedly life on the edge of heaven. And, Cynthia’s eyes agreed as they scanned the whole thing while expressing a sense of satisfaction at her good fortune to be swimming in the middle of her treasures.

Fortune: “Life’s ups and downs – chance happenings throughout life that may turn out well or badly.” I think not! Both Jonathan and Cynthia have made the choice to create their life surrounded by friends and family. They know what the most significant things are in their lives. They know what elements make a great life and they have embraced them fully.

When such a choice is made it becomes easy to be selective when it relates to other things that compete for time. So, if you’re feeling a little worn right now, I invite you to take just a few minutes and identify the important things in your life.

If you are having a hard time doing so, let me tell you of a conversation I had with another friend this week. Her house had recently burned down, so I carefully expressed my consolation along with my sincere desire that she and her family are doing well. Knowing her as I do, I wasn’t surprised by her answer.

“I don’t think we will ever know the reason our house burned down. But, it doesn’t matter. Everyone in my family is well! The rest is just stuff. As long as we have each other, everything is all right.”

That tells it all! Having a great life is as simple as living centered in the things that have life; family and friends. These will never go away if you stay focused on them. Sure, there will be changes and challenges. But, nothing can stop you from giving the love needed to accomplish this. Pull your loved ones in and hold them tightly. The rest is “just stuff!”