How do you feel about simplicity? Do you love it? Crave it? Or do you hate it? Does it excite you or frighten you? What feelings come to your heart at the mention of the word?
I love it, in theory at least, but I struggle living it. I love simplicity but I live complexity. My head is full of ideas that are innovative, but long to be simplified. My closet begs me to rid it of things I no longer wear, but those things still remain. My desk is often cluttered when it could easily be organized.
In general, it seems I over complicate things that are easy.
I remember years ago, a friend of mine was teaching me Tai Chi,and she showed me a movement and asked me to follow her. Instead of turning 1/4 to the left to get to the new position, I turned 3/4 to the right.
I remember her asking me, “Do you always tend to make things more difficult than they are?”
I love this quote by the great artist, Hans Hofman
“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”
There is a story they tell of Leonardo Di Vinci. Someone asks him, “How do you have the courage to chip away at a very expensive piece of marble to sculpt this amazing creation of a horse?”
To which Leonardo answers,”It is easy, I just remove every piece of this marble that does not look like a horse.”
What in your life is unnecessary? Do you have the courage to see what is there when the unnecessary is removed? Why not give it a try? I would love to know what you see.