Simple Life

I have always wanted a simple life. A no hassle job. Small but loving family with simple needs. But what does simple mean?

The very moment I say job, it comes with a position, an office setting and the career rat race. Can it be simple. Sure if you are sitting sipping coffee after work with a friend you can talk your head off how simple you want things to be. But the moment you set foot in the game, you want a double digit pay rise every year, that bonus and that corner office with big window and a sofa. And does it stop when you have all that, no, because still there will be people to compete with, still there will be targets to achieve. How can all this happen if you want to keep things simple. Would your ego let it all pass laying down. Of course things will be simple again when you want them to be... but the simplicity come with a cost. A cost that cannot be seen or defined but only felt.

If I really want to make it simple and I mean it, then everthing else becomes small. My work becomes important only to me and that corner office does not appeal any more. I can feel complacent about my acheivements and possessions then I can keep it simple. I can just keep myself to perform the task in hand and not set myself up. Keep it simple stupid (KISS) is what heard somebody say and KISS I will.

Family.. is similar. If I can define my needs and things that I like without over committing myself than I can keep it simple. That dream house or that red sports car, if it stretches my mortgage or bogs me down in commitments I cannot keep then I cannot keep things simple.

I really need to set expecations for myself and my wife and kids, only than it will be simple enough for all of us.

But then, does it make the life turn boring. Where does it leave me then? Just chugging along for 3 square meal, clothing and a house. Is there more to life than just keep it simple?

A simple life makes it go far but is it worth it? Everybody needs a little spice sometime or other. Lord Krishna also talks about the importance of constant work. I think its the expectations from work and family that start to complicate things. It is simple until you define what needs to be done and keep to it. Once you start having expectations from your wife, son, daughter, co-workers and your boss, that's when the simplicity of things start to whither.

Mantra is to keep things simple and remain stupid about it.