Uncomplicated, More Time to Notice

Ignacio L. Vallarta, Miguel Miramontes Carmona, Puerto Vallarto

I like old bookstores, the smell of coffee brewing, rainy day naps, farmhouse porches, and sunsets. I like the sweet simple things that remind me that life doesn’t have to be complicated to be beautiful.

Brooke Hampton

This photo was taken on a walk near the shore in Puerto Vallarta. The birds are real and not part of the sculpture. There was something amusing about seeing them perched so comfortably on this rather dignified gentleman. It was one of those unexpected moments that makes you smile—a reminder that there are still uncomplicated, beautiful moments to experience.

I was reading recently that baking bread has become a popular pastime. I can understand why. There’s something comforting about the smell of freshly baked bread filling the kitchen, and somehow nothing you buy at the bakery tastes quite as good as a loaf you’ve made yourself. Maybe it’s because you had to wait for it.

People are gardening more, too, growing their own flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables. There is a particular pleasure in walking outside and picking a tomato that is still warm from the sun. Add a little bacon, lettuce and homemade mayonnaise, and you have a BLT that seems almost extravagant in its simplicity. It’s hard to improve on a fresh garden tomato in the middle of summer.

Puzzles and board games have regained popularity as well. We occasionally have a family game of Scrabble after dinner. It’s nothing elaborate. We sit around the table, argue good-naturedly over whether someone’s questionable word really belongs in the dictionary, and enjoy being together. There is something reassuring about entertainment that doesn’t require a screen, a reservation or much planning.

Perhaps we’re all looking for ways to entertain ourselves because we aren’t always able to do the things we once did. But I wonder if there is something more to it than that.

For a long time, we seemed to equate a full life with a busy one. There was always somewhere to go, something to buy, another appointment to keep. We became accustomed to filling our calendars and, without realizing it, perhaps filling every quiet space as well.

Yet some of the things that bring us the most pleasure have been there all along: making something with our hands, tending a garden, taking a walk, reading a book, sitting around a table with people we love. A loaf of bread rising on the kitchen counter. A tomato picked from the garden. A Scrabble board after dinner. Even three pigeons deciding that a bronze statue in Puerto Vallarta is the perfect place to spend the afternoon.

With everything going on in the world, perhaps one bright spot is that we have been reminded to look for simpler, less complicated ways of living. Not because a simple life is necessarily an easier life, but because it gives us a chance to notice what we might otherwise hurry past.

Maybe uncomplicated doesn’t mean having less of a life. Maybe it means having more time to notice it.

Peace be with you.

If you’re new here, welcome. I write about aging with grace, finding beauty in everyday life, and the quiet moments that remind us what matters most. I’m so glad you’ve stopped by.