The Search for a Simple Life

There are seasons in life when we suddenly realize we’ve been running faster than we ever intended.

The days become fuller, the schedules become busier, and before long we find ourselves wondering when life started feeling so complicated. Sometimes it’s brought on by circumstances we can’t control. Other times, it simply happens one small step at a time until we wake up one morning longing for a quieter way to live.

That longing is what led me to write The Search for a Simple Life.

For me, living simply has never meant walking away from responsibility or pretending the world doesn’t have challenges. Life will always have unexpected turns. There will always be seasons of uncertainty. What I’ve discovered, though, is that there is a great deal of peace in learning to focus on what truly matters and letting go of the things that don’t.

A simple life isn’t about perfection. It isn’t about having the biggest garden, baking every loaf of bread from scratch, or checking every item off someone else’s homesteading list. It’s about taking one small step at a time toward a life that feels more intentional, more peaceful, and more deeply rooted in faith and family.

Every family will build that life a little differently, and that’s exactly as it should be. My hope is simply that the ideas in these pages encourage you to begin asking, “What would a simpler life look like for us?”

So, before you decide whether this book belongs on your own bookshelf, I thought I’d invite you to spend a few quiet minutes with it here on the porch.

Pull up a Rocker

If you’d like to spend a little more time on the porch before deciding whether this book is for you, I’ve included the beginning below. I hope it gives you a feel for the conversation waiting inside its pages.

The Search for a Simple Life begins…

I am a transplant. Originally a city girl, my roots had grown deep into the cement. I was well established in a bed overplanted with houses, buildings, stores, and people. My soil was primarily a mix of tarmac and concrete, with a little bit of dirt and grass tossed in.

Although I was okay with that life, deep down inside I always knew there was something else out there. Better soil. Cleaner water. More room to stretch my leaves and stems and grow into the person I knew I was meant to be.

Where I Started my Search for a Simple Life

I was in my forties before a ‘gardener’ came along with a good sharp shovel and transplanted me from all that tarmac and concrete to a healthy, rich soil on 60 acres of rural farmland. That ‘gardener’ was actually a dream that was ready to come true. The Country Boy and I came across the opportunity to relocate from the city to the country and jumped at the chance.

Now, mind you, I had no idea what I was getting into. I felt the pain of my roots being pulled from the ground I was used to, trimmed, and wrapped in wet soggy newspaper in order to safely get me where I was going. But once I felt that rich, moist, delicious soil packed around me, I knew I was home.

Let the Search for a Simple Life Bloom

We have often heard the phrase, “Bloom where you are planted”. To some degree, I agree with it.  Our lives may be rooted in a lifestyle that was inherited, or just assumed we would follow. In that case, we may not have the healthiest of soil, or the required amounts of water, but we can take what we have and bloom.

Today, we are faced with any number of uncertainties. From food shortages to foods saturated in chemicals as they grow. Toss in pandemics to stock declines and recessions. It only takes one country or world-wide catastrophe to bring us to our knees when it comes to caring for our families.

And because of that, learning to live as simply as possible increases your food security, lessens your dependence on outside sources, and broadens your sense of contentment and joy. It is a lifestyle where you grow your own food, get creative, build with your hands, spend quality time with your family, and get back to the basics of life. 

Putting a Simple Life into Action

Now that I have put this lifestyle into action, I have a garden, which improves each year. I’ve learned to save seeds and finding a variety of ways to preserve the harvest. I have learned to knit, crochet and weave, in order to make handmade gifts. And I am even learning, slowly but surely, how to use power tools and do minor maintenance on my car and tractors.

These are all things you can do with just a little planning, practice and effort. It is something you can do on your own, or with your family. Even your children can benefit greatly by learning how to provide for themselves, and one day, perhaps their own families.

My Action Steps

I went from high heels to rubber boots. From dresses and brief cases to jeans and a shovel. I’ve gone from digging up well-established roots to being transplanted. This Farm Wife is now where she needs to be and is well on her way to becoming the woman she was meant to be in the first place.

And yes. I have become a perennial bloomer. Just check out this new set of roots!

A Simple Life isn’t always Easy

A total lifestyle change such as mine comes with its difficulties, its trials and a side dish of impatience, as well as joys and successes. We have grown up in a world of instant gratification. However, so much of what we have received has either grown boring or has broken, as most things aren’t well made anymore.

As for boring, I strongly believe things grow boring for us because we haven’t worked hard to earn it.  We see it. Someone else has it. We want it. We buy it on credit. And long before the bill comes due, whatever it is has broken, fallen out of fashion, or ends up on a closet shelf or under a couch cushion and has been forgotten.

Maybe it is time to take a step back and determine what is most important to us. Perhaps we should examine our wants, and figure out if they are truly needs. Maybe, we need to spend less time trying to keep up with the Jones’ and decide who we are meant to be. 

Your Search for A Simple Life

If you find your lifestyle is no longer satisfying, here’s another ‘maybe’ for you – maybe it is time to get back to a Simple Life. A life where we work hard, wipe the sweat off our brow, dig in, and produce the things that really matter to us. One where we can enjoy our life, rather than bending over backward to have more and want more. And then getting into debt trying to pay for it.

To be less dependent on others – whether family, corporations or government. To learn to do as much as possible on our own. One where what we do have and have worked hard for, is more deeply appreciated.

Keep in mind. You cannot make the change all at once. It takes time, effort, and a great deal of thought. Start with a plan and figure out where you want to go and how you want to get there. Take it slow. Learn one thing at a time, then build from there. As you get comfortable with each step you take, your confidence will grow. You may find you love the journey of becoming who you were meant to be.

If you are considering living a more Simple Life, then this book can help. It is designed to give you thoughts and ideas of ways you can begin your journey. Each section offers an overview of what it will take to incorporate that portion into your new plan. Some sections have a bit more information than others. It is written this way to give you food for thought in each area, and then allow you to pursue those things that will work for you in more depth.

But before we begin with the details, there is still a bit more you need to consider…

About this Book

• Paperback and Kindle editions
• 155 pages
• 6×9 trim size
• Available through Amazon

Take it Home

If you’d like to add The Farm Wife to your own bookshelf, you’ll find it here.

A little porch note: If you choose to purchase something through one of the links on this page, I may earn a small commission—at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for helping keep sweet tea on the porch. ❤️