A Simple Life

Across the Fence #578


There was a time when life, though very hard, proceeded at a much slower pace. It was a simple life. Much less complicated than the world we find ourselves in today.

Those thoughts ran through my mind on a visit to the Hauge Church, an old Norwegian Lutheran Church built in the mid-1800’s in Dane County, Wisconsin. I had sought out the solitude of the place after the unexpected deaths of a friend and a relative. I sat alone on the narrow seat of a pew and reflected on their lives. I wanted to be alone with my thoughts about them and life. As I looked out the window of that small pioneer church, I thought of the people who once sat there. I wondered what their lives had been like and what they would think of the life we lead today.

There was a poem hanging on the wall of the Hauge Church, established in 1852, called “A Simple Life” that talks about sitting on this hilltop and enjoying the quiet and solitude. Life has changed since that poem was written, but it was still peaceful sitting there alone, far from the hustle and noise of the city.

I thought of what a simple, stripped-down version that church was compared to the ones we build today. Multi-million dollar buildings that put a financial strain on the members who worship there, as they struggle to meet their own bills, not to mention those of the monumental structures.

I wondered as I sat there, is the religion taking place in our complex, fancy structures of today, any better than the religion practiced by our ancestors in that simple church? I suspect not. 

Outside the church the wind blew softly through the neighboring trees. The sun shone brightly through the two west-facing windows. I saw the corn standing tall in the field below the church. The rows stretched down to the valley below, where they met a row of trees. Hills stretched in rich, green splendor to the horizon where the color changed to blue and merged with the light blue sky. Clouds rolled majestically across the sky, taking on the appearance of snowcapped mountains in the distance.

The beauty of the land surrounds us and many of us are blind to it in our haste to get from one place to another. We’re too busy to notice… too busy to appreciate it. I think of the old saying, “Life is not a destination. It’s a journey.” What a shame that many people are too busy to enjoy the trip.

What is it that everyone is rushing around in search of? Is it peace, happiness, contentment, the American dream? Perhaps no one really knows. I’ll venture one thought. If that’s what we’re after, I doubt if we’ll find it as long as we travel blindly at full speed through life.

Every once in a while, we all need to slow down, look around, listen, and enjoy the journey we’re on. We need to tune in to the world around us.

As I sat on a bench in the shade outside the Hauge Church, I found a quiet shelter from the hectic pace of the city where we lived at that time. A peaceful place where I could quietly remember two lives that had been cut short. I could hear the wind talking to me as it wove its way through the leaves. The birds chattered happily all around me. A hawk circled lazily over the cornfield, rising and falling on an invisible shaft of air. The sounds of nature were all around, untouched by city noise and traffic.

Thoreau would have loved that hilltop. He said, “Not till we are lost, do we begin to find ourselves..."

I think not being able to find or live a simple life is a problem for many people today. We find ourselves going faster and faster. The faster we go, the more we accumulate, the heavier the load becomes, and the less we enjoy the trip. 

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify… even if just for a short time to refresh your mind and spirit. Take time to listen to the wind rattling the leaves in the trees. Hear the birds singing. See the clouds roll across the sky. Watch the sun paint the horizon with wondrous colors as it sinks out of sight. Watch as it gives way to the beauty and mystery of the star-studded evening sky.Watch for shooting stars as they briefly light up the night … beauty for just an instant in time. 

We also need to take time to know who our neighbors are, to talk across the fence with them, be there for them, and help them when they need encouragement in times of trouble.

We need to slow down and enjoy the moment. Enjoy each day.

I know we can’t turn back the clock to those days when people stood on that hill and worshiped in that simple church. Those days are gone forever. But somewhere between those simpler days and this complex, hectic world we now live in, there must be a place where people can slow down the race, tune into the world around them, and start to enjoy the journey. Sitting on that peaceful hilltop may not be the answer, but at least it's a start.

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