Attempt #2 at explaining my version of "simple"

In a previous post, I listed things that I do that I consider “simple living”. I have been thinking about that ever since I posted it, and I’m just not happy with it. It talks about what I do, but not why I do it.

I was born here in Greensburg. My first few years were spent living on my grandparent’s farm. Once my grandparents bought a house in town, and my mom remarried, we spent all our weekends spring, summer, and fall, camping. We had campers, no tents, but I spent every waking hour climbing trees, fishing, swimming in lakes and creeks, rock hunting, and studying the plants and animals. I remember the first fish I caught all by myself (including taking it off the hook, putting it on a stringer), a small mouth bass, using salmon eggs as bait, in a Missouri farm pond owned by my favorite aunt and uncle. I spent several years in 4-H, in fact, until the tornado I still had my 4-H project notebooks!

In my first 12 years, all time that wasn’t taken by camping or school (or swimming for hours and hours at the public pool!), I spent with my grandparents. In the summer we spent days working at the farm, checking up on crops, pulling rye from the wheat, killing prairie dogs (don’t look at me like that - have you ever seen a cow or horse after they’ve broken their leg by stepping in a prairie dog hole? I rest my case). I learned everything I know from them - simple country cooking, sewing, gardening, yard care, quilting, crocheting, saving money, reusing, simple living which to me is HUMBLE living. My grandma was a school teacher, and she also taught me my love of books, reading and learning.

I’ve never lived in a city. I didn’t go to college (other than a few college classes) I got married at 18, had our first child at 19. I realize that some people, even people here in town, think I’m ignorant - that “simple” in my case means “simple-minded”. Even people who say they are simple don’t quite understand me. Maybe it goes back to that 70s - 80s mindset that a woman without a career is not worth anything. Believe me, as a stay at home home schooling mom I work harder than I did when I had a 70 hour a week job outside the home!

I suppose I’m not the best person to be seen as a Greensburg resident. They are looking for residents who are cutting edge, sophisticated, and high tech., none of which I am. But Greensburg is Kansas, and Kansas is prairie, and I am prairie to the core. My ancestors came to Kansas in covered wagons, and were farmers, farmers - and farmers. My generation is the first without a farmer - I happened to fall for an oilfield hand instead of a farmer, but our son (age 10) really wants to be a farmer someday. I’m not sure how he’ll do that, it’s not an easy vocation to get into without inherited land and experience, but that’s another story…

Does this tell you anything more in-depth about what “simple living” means to me? Probably not. I’ve probably just confused you more… lol No one seems to ever understand. I guess I just can’t explain it very well. If you made it to the end of this - congratulations!