Several weeks ago I led a weekend retreat on the stunningly beautiful Star Island in the Isles of Shoals off the coast of New Hampshire. It was an amazing experience. The Island, located ten miles off the mainland, offers an opportunity to experience natural history, ecology, environmental protection, and simplicity. There were no cars, phones, TVs, or other ‘extras’  on the island. But raw, sheer beauty and fresh air were in abundance.

I stayed in a small stone cottage called the ‘parsonage,’ which was simply but adequately furnished. There was cold rainwater from the cistern in the sink and the toilet was flushed using ocean water. It was possible to take a pitcher of hot water to my room for a sponge bath. Showers were available in the undercroft of the main building – on Sunday.  At the highest point of the island stood the very special stone chapel built in 1800. Because there was no electricity in the chapel, at night the guests gathered at the foot of the hill and processed to the chapel carrying candle lanterns – like the villagers did long ago when they carried their whale-oil lamps up the same winding path and hung their lanterns on brackets on the chapel walls, which provided the only source of light – and it was adequate and sacred. The whole weekend on Star Island was a restorative experience, and it reminded me that we have lots of ‘unnecessary stuff’ in our lives, that too much of anything can be a burden, and that we don’t really need very much.

Unfortunately our culture has an obsession with possessing things. We seem to believe that the good life is found in accumulation, that ‘more is better.’ Indeed, we have accepted this idea, so we ‘shop till we drop.’ Sadly, trying to achieve and accumulate more and more threatens to overwhelm us; it may seem that there is no escape from this rat race.

But we can learn to live simply and perhaps be set free from this craziness. Simplicity can bring sanity to our compulsive extravagance and peace to our frantic spirits. We can see material things for what they are – goods to enhance life, not to oppress life, and that people are more important than possessions.

After being on Star Island, I am convinced that the movement toward simplicity is more than an attempt to respond to the ecological disaster that surrounds us. I believe it is a way of tuning in to what is the best our world has to offer – such as our family and friends, the wonders of nature, the peace and serenity that comes from silence. Living simply can also mean getting in touch with our creativity and understanding what we really need to do to heal ourselves of the things that hurt us. Pope John XXIII said: ‘The older I grow the more clearly I perceive the dignity and winning beauty of simplicity in thought, conduct, and speech: a desire to simplify all that is complicated and to treat everything with the greatest naturalness and clarity.’ Yes, living simply can help us have a life of integrity and bring peace in our lives.

O God of Simplicity, thank you for providing us with such an abundant life. Help us to learn to appreciate the simple joys of life, to take time to experience the restorative power of beauty and quiet, of nature, and to find the courage to go deep within and nourish our souls. Amen.

Joy Carol

www.joycarol.com