I am not a hippie.

My family thinks that I am a hippie. I kinda used to want to be one. But I'm over it. However, I think that they had a few things right.

Meditation, Community, Dreads (ok, maybe not dreads), Living Simply, and the list could go on...

But man, think about living simply. I usually think of it as an abstract theory of consuming cheaper things than the average american (shopping at thrift stores, riding a bike rather than driving, etc.). I add in there something about recycling and turning off the water while I brush my teeth, and voila! Green=simple, right?

Wrong.

While there is some merit to living a "green" lifestyle, that is not at all what i am talking about. I am talking about quieting the noise in our lives. I am going to start gradually but very intentionally reducing the noise levels in my life. Facebook was the first to go. Now I am thinking food and coffee. Then maybe clothes, music, and who knows what else that will lead to.

Now, I am not going to go around as a hungry nudist, I just want to try to get rid of all the extras.

Here's the thing. I was just talking with a good friend, and she was telling me that she and her husband are going to start trying to live on just the necessities. They are purposefully going to swing too far to the simplicity side. Once they realize what things are essential and what are extra, they can slowly add back in those things that are pretty much necessary.

I think that this is a great idea! Not only will it make life easier and the "extras" more enjoyable when they come around, but I think that it will make it easier to hear the voice of God. Like, I always say that I want to hear the voice of God, but am I even listening? Not with the radio in my ears and the facebook world on my mind.

I think that this is going to be a slow process, but I think that it will be so good!

(Disclaimer; I am not condemning all americans or people who have facebook. I am just saying that for me right now, this is the best thing.)