Do you really want to know what makes you realize how busy and hectic our lives are due to cultural demands and routines formulated way before we were old enough to realize the true exhaustion that would ensue?

A rainy day.

And not just any kind of rainy day. The kind that makes your power go out right at dusk. Justttt when supper should be hot on the stove and your vision requires light–which in today’s culture (where I live anyway) is provided by electricity.

However, this was not the case for us and suddenly we were surrounded by silence. Eery and deafening silence.

I like to consider myself someone who sits in silence often. I rarely turn on the television. If i’m in my home, I typically opt out of radio noise. And so I just sit. On my couch. Tucked under a fuzzy blanket. In “silence”.

Though silence gains a whole new meaning when there is no electricity.

No fans rotating with a forgotten squeak or swoosh, no air units on the wall letting out a soft whisper, and no hum from the washing machine to billow from the back room.

So, what do we do when we have no wifi, no (artificial) light, and no air circulating?

We crack a window, light an old fashioned kerosene lamp, and put together a puzzle.

It is in these moments that I realize how simple our life is here in the country.

At first, I detested the simplicity.

I’ve grown up in the country my whole life and I’ll be darned if I didn’t want to live in a loft apartment that had a walk spanning 2 blocks to a quaint coffee shop with exceptional wifi.

But that’s not what I got. That’s not what was meant for me.

Simplicity is what I got. and lots of it.

This life that i’ve slowly and quietly settled into has led me to realize many things.

I love a quite and still environment. I love not having the whirlwind of demands and background noise beckoning my attention every time I crack a window or open my front door.

I truly feel this is what is missing and so desperately needed by our society today.

I realized I didn’t know the true meaning of “rest” and how crucial it is for our bodies. Rest doesn’t have to mean a nap a 2 p.m. It can simply mean a glass of iced tea on your back porch while you sit in thought. Just 15 minutes of relaxation with nothing demanding your thoughts or attention.

I now actually detest trips to large, busy environments because I find myself yearning for my quite cabin and 4 fur-babies.

I yearn for the sound of breakfast or supper sizzling in the cast iron and the smell of coffee and old wood filling the air around me.

It is in these moments that I can hear myself think. I find it much easier to prioritize what matters and keep my emotions in check.

Life is simple here. Not too routine and not too much adventure. It’s just the right combination.

For this, I am thankful.