Simplicity.

When I was growing up, my house was in front of 2 acres of woods and a big overgrown field that was great for any type of game or sport you could think of. There was a fence that lined the south side of the woods, and on the other side of it was another field that was abandoned and overgrown. My mom always said that I wasn't allowed to go on the other side of the fence... but one day, I did, and I hopped the fence to discover a huge pile of different kinds of used old tires. "WOE! That's so cool!" It made the coolest place to build forts and obstacle courses, as long as you didn't mind the bugs and getting dirty.

I loved going to the pile of tires. I could stay there for hours, with or without friends, building things and discovering fun things to do with old tires. It was truly a care-free time in my life. I wasn't concerned about anything. I didn't have any responsibilities other than getting home in time for dinner. I didn't have to worry about school, or work. The only concern I had was just to make sure I didn't hurt myself... and even that I only cared about to a certain degree.

Growing older, graduating highschool, entering college, and considering marraige has made me think a lot about these memories... memories of times in my life of care-free simplicity.

Thinking about these times has made me realize that the older you get, the harder it gets - and there's no going back to when it was easier.

I remember thinking when I was younger that everything would be so much better when I got older because I wouldn't have rules anymore. I grew up to find out that I wasn't entirely correct.
Each year, if not each day I got older, more responsibilities were added to my life. It's like learning to drive. I remember thinking that I couldn't wait until I could drive so that way I wouldn't have to ask my mom's permission to go places. Then I got my license and I wanted a car. But guess what had to happen before I could get that car... I needed a job. More complication and stress was added to my life. The same was with all other growth points. I thought that after I graduated highschool, things would be better... but again, I was wrong. College ended up to be a rather rude awakening, and added even more responsibility and stress to my life. I thought that things would be better if I had a boyfriend... after a few heartbreaks, I learned that this wasn't always the case. More stress and complications were added to life.

Sometimes I get so stressed out that I wish I could just go back to that abandoned field with the pile of tires, and build myself a little hide-away back in the woods somewhere. Do you ever feel that way?

Several years ago, the property where the woods and tires once were was bought, and a housing development was built in its place. It really sadened me as I watched them tear down the trees each day that I came home from school, even though I was a teenager and really didn't go back there much anymore. It was just depressing to think that I couldn't go back there to relive those memories of a stress-free time. My child-like faith believed that those woods would always be there, so that when I had children of my own, I could take them there - to grandma's house - so they could play, learn, and create in the same woods that I did as a child.

Sometimes I wish that I could make life simpler... but I have realized that the best way for me to "get over" life's stresses, is to look toward the positive aspects of the future. Even though I am sure that life will only get harder as relationships grow and responsibilities grow in number, I can choose to not worry about it. I can choose to not let stress get the best of me.

Perhaps simplicity is a choice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtwGyxzxBDg