To me, there is a difference amongst country people and town people.

CP almost always seem to have time, a commodity TP cherish, but seem to have to juggle like mad to meet all the demands of modern day city life.

How this has come to pass, I suppose can be endlessly debated.

Maybe dealing with Mother Nature, which sets quite strict rules on the need for patience does this trick.

I, too, want to have this pastoral livestyle. And am working towards this.

For me, it’s a nice psychological lift because when I am not seeing the same stuff every day, I honestly begin to think differently about a lot of things in my life. I live in CT but took a trip recently to Texas and Utah and I was amazed at how much that helped from a perspective standpoint.

Of course, other readers need to consider their own definitions of simplicity, too, so that when making their own life and financial decisions, they decide develop what truly matters to them and discard the rest. I believe this is the key to sticking to any plans - financial or otherwise.

I consider you a wordsmith who can open the reader’s eyes to thoughts and ideals. I ask you to reflect–how many times has someone responded to a post with an idea gleaned from one of your writings–specifically gaining an insight that you had not thought of, but was valid and applicable.

Don’t discount your communication. It is excellent.

Gregg

Hardly signs of unhappiness.

From ages 9 to 15, my parents decided that farm living was for them. We had a flock of sheep, some goats, chickens, geese, and rabbits. My mother tended a 1/2 acre vegetable garden.

It was grueling, backbreaking work. Not idyllic at all. My stepfather worked at various jobs (or for cash under the table) in order to make the land payment. He had no time to devote to actual farming, so most of that fell to my mother and I. We weren’t hungry - we ate very well off what we produced. We were literally dirt poor. I went through a school year with two pairs of pants and 5 shirts to my name.

There’s something crushing about the kind of poverty where you can’t afford the basic necessities of life. My stepfather was spectacularly unprepared for the physical demands of farming, and wholly unprepared for the realities of animal husbandry. It was some leftover “back to the garden” dream of the late 60’s, and it turned into a nightmare.

When I was 15, my mother gathered up her skirts, put on her best Scarlet O’Hara voice, grabbed her last turnip out of the @#!ING garden and swore she’d never go without again.

Thanks for this insightful and right on post! As one who has previously been ascribed as a loner, I can attest that my past efforts to “not care” have been unsuccessful. Perspective is key indeed. Am I really broke if there sits $500 dollars within my inside coat pocket - BUT I forgot it was there?

Jean

The fact that this phrase so often confuses people, though, tells me I’m doing a poor job of communication. I need to find another phrase, one that conveys the same thing, but which doesn’t bring up thoughts of flocks — either sheep or congregations.

If you want to practice voluntary simplicity you need to learn to love and embrace the leisure time you have. Don’t feel like you need to be productive at all times, whether that be working, building a blog, etc. Sometimes it’s good to just relax for a few hours, walk in the park, play some video games, etc etc etc.

I agree that pastors are some of the hardest-working folks I know! Not a simple life, but I hope a satisfying one.

I agree with the fundamental premise of this article, that I am responsible for finding our own sense of happy, low-stress, equanimity about my life.

However, I’m having a hard time relating to the “one with the universe-ness” I am reading in it, but I was originally taught to worry overmuch about what everyone else wants and thinks, so I greatly value my boundaries and separateness from other people and things. It’s hard to live simply and worry about what other people think. Your mileage will certainly vary.

Thanks for this interesting post!

Peter

pastoral-adj.
1. having the simplicity, charm, serenity, or other characteristics generally attributed to rural areas: pastoral scenery; the pastoral life.
2. pertaining to the country or to life in the country; rural; rustic.
3. portraying or suggesting idyllically the life of shepherds or of the country, as a work of literature, art, or music: pastoral poetry; a pastoral symphony.
4. of, pertaining to, or consisting of shepherds.
5. of or pertaining to a pastor or the duties of a pastor: pastoral visits to a hospital.
6. used for pasture, as land.

A more pastoral lifestyle can be lead anywhere, not just in the country - I think it is more a matter of mindset than anything else. It gives us the comforting insurance that we have meaning in our lives, as the post points out. Great information!
Jerry
http://www.leads4insurance.com

But using the phrase pastoral lifestyle to indicate “…a life that flows at a slower pace, a life removed from the concerns of the day-to-day world…” is not very realisitc.

My brother-in-law is a pastor for a small country church. You would think a small church would mean a slower pace. Not really as he handles most things in the church with his wife. They can’t pay for a lot of staff, so alot of actions fall into the “other duties as assigned” category most of us in the business world are familiar with.

And he certainly is not removed from the concerns of the day-to-day world. Just yesterday, on Thansgiving, he was taking a cooked turkey to a family that had no meal. He visits the members of his church who are not well, in their homes or the hospital, and deals with the worldly concerns of not only his family but the rest of his church.

I am sure he would like to be removed from all of this ocassionally just to rest, but as a pastor these concerns are his responsibility.

Just thought I would toss that out.