Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

When we arrived at Santiago de Compostela, we stayed at Hospedería San Martín Pinario, a monastery that has been coverted into a hotel. The beauty of the room was its simplicity. A bed. A desk. A bathroom. A large window that swung open to reveal lovely vistas. I have been fortunate enough to stay in a lot of desirable rooms, and this bare -bones room was one of them. Every single room was the same. There was something about its lack of pretense and its uniformity that felt comforting. The absence of “stuff” made it easier to appreciate my surroundings. It got me thinking about the the big “simplicity movement” going on right now.

Back in September 2019, I had the great privilege of celebrating the life of a very special woman, Jessica McEvoy Trimble. She was the mother of my brother-in-law, Dave. Mrs. T was in my life for a very long time, and we had a close connection. We had many meaningful conversations throughout the years and seemed to understand one another in the way that made each feel seen. We shared an appreciation of humor, wine, the beach, and the fact that the toddler years are awful challenging. I had deep respect for Mrs.T. I feel like she respected me too.

Mrs. Trimble had a lot of sayings. My neice, Liz, creatively thought to have them printed on cocktail napkins for the party in her honor. They are a wonderful memory and great story starters. “Nana would always say…”

Keep It Simple.

Her words have a new meaning to me now that I have walked the Camino. I’ve always been thrown off by clutter, although I seem to be the cause of alot of it. I can be the most organized-disorganized peron. Upon returning from Galicia, I’ve had the desire to do a major house clean and purge to simplify things. If something doesn’t serve a purpose, carry meaning, or provide joy I want it out of my Way. I guess the nice word is “discernment.” Marie Kondo, the guru of tidiness says, “People cannot change their habits without first changing their way of thinking.”  I’ve really begun to give a lot of attention to whom and what I want surrounding me. As I pay more attention, objects and people have reappeared, they’ve fallen away, they’ve been renewed, and opportunities are presenting themselves.

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C. W. Ceran says that “genius is the ability to reduce the complicated to the simple.” I aspire to do this whether I’m reducing the “stuff” around the house or the “stuff” in in my mind. I would like both places to be uncomplicated. Kondo says, ““The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.” I am learning that simplicity is a mindset that allows me to interact with my surroundings with more confidence and presence. And this has made all the difference.

Note: Marie Kondo https://www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering-Organizing/dp/1607747308/ref=sr_1_2?hvadid=77790473293518&hvbmt=bb&hvdev=c&hvqmt=b&keywords=marie+kondo+books&qid=1562761985&s=gateway&sr=8-2

Note: My claim to fame and my gift it Mrs. T. is that if you type “Jessica McEvoy Trimble” into the Google search bar, this post appears on page two, fifth link down! I’m trying to figure out how to get you all to the top of the search engines!!