A Greater Sense of Ease

Part of what motivates me to keep things simple in my life is the sense of ease that accompanies it. There are still times when I get caught up in unnecessarily complicating the orchestration of whatever it is I am engaged in, but I breathe a sigh of relief when I at last remember that it doesn’t have to be that way—there is generally always a way to pare things down and clarify.

An example of this would be shopping for clothes. When I need something I am confronted with what seems to me an outrageous variety of colours, styles, sizes and quality. Part of me appreciates that I have options, but another part of me resents the fact that 80% of those options, aren’t really reasonable options. I find myself bombarded with a dizzying array of clothes that are either poor quality, poor fit, poor design or ridiculously expensive. Then there is the ethics of clothing manufacture to consider adding one more layer of complexity to the endeavour.

Sometimes I wonder whether a uniform of sorts would be a good idea, like the Indian sari. It is beautiful, practical, looks good on all shapes and sizes, and is the essence of simplicity as it is one piece of fabric. It is used for all occasions as well.

 I am so taken with this notion that I have lately been dreaming up my own variation on this theme, which involves jeans and t-shirt or blouse of some sort—not the most unique of conceptions, but it fits my lifestyle and innovation comes from designing it to suit all occasions. I’m a bit of a rebel here, for I agree with Thoreau who said, “Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes.”

Living in the mundane world is sometimes a complicated venture, but I am determined daily to keep it as simple as I can. Basic good design, a few well-chosen things that delight the senses and knowing when enough is enough—the art of contentment, a greater sense of ease, a work in progress.