The Art of Simple

   There is something to be said about stripping away the unnecessary and having only what one needs. Simplicity is sexy, humble, and from time to time dances side by side with perfection. Save the lingerie ladies, you are at your sexiest in a comfy t-shirt. Don't give me a meal crowded with 20 ingredients, just serve me pan seared scallops with a lemon and butter sauce over a bed of pasta. I'll leave a party of 400 drunk college kids to hang out and dance with a few close friends in a cozy living room every day of the week. I'll take a bottle of wine at home over a $300 dollar bar hopping tab every time.
   My time here in Brevard has shown me first hand the power and beauty of living a simple life. Instead of going to bars or big parties we are content with the company of a few friends, good music and dancing. We don't need climbing trips to far away places when we are happy with a session at the North Side preceded by a PBR or two....or three depending on how hard we climbed. We don't need Atlanta Bread Company or Panera, we have Braken Mountain Bakery with artisan bread and pastries. When it rains we go climbing at Brevard Rock Gym and experience the warmth and psyche that larger, more elaborate gyms can't provide. We don't need amusement parks, we have Pisgah Forest! Life here is not bare but simply.....simple. Living in Brevard is like sitting at a cozy coffee shop at 10pm having a deep conversation with the most beautiful woman you've ever met, oblivious to the world outside your perfect little moment. Yeh its that good here.
   I realized last night as I sat in a very small Thai restaurant, sipping jasmine tea with my beautiful friends Julia and Morgan, that life is at it's best when it is kept genuine and simple. We ate good food, innocently gossiped, and laughed. After our amazing meal we went to our friend Dan's house to drink cheap beer, listen to old CD's, eat ice cream and destroy furniture with an axe. OK so maybe that last one is a little strange but its still good, simple fun and has a completely rational explanation. ( P.S. Don't mess with Johanne Tuttle when she's wearing ski goggles and wielding an axe!)
   My point is when you are making decisions in life choose the simple. You will get all that you need and skip over the unnecessary clutter of unwanted drama and stress. Whether you are trying to decide where to live, what to eat or who to love, simplicity will guide you down a path with honest and genuine results. Life is complicated and sometimes simple isn't entirely possible but we can try. We can strive to ask ourselves " What do I truly and deeply need?". Be content with simple pleasures. Enjoy the beauty of the silent forest at dusk, savor the taste of a good home cooked meal, laugh really hard with friends, hug your mother and father tightly, feel the Autumn breeze kiss your skin and realize that none of this is permanent and it will all be taken away one day. I hope when it is all over I can look back and say that I led a beautiful, rich and simple life. I hope this for all those that I cherish and love.