"Oh I wanna live the simple life..."

I know it's not a Musical Monday, but I've been reminded of this song the last few days -- Carolyn Dawn Johnson's Simple Life.

photo credit

Tuesday morning Abby and I left with some friends for a mini-road-trip. We spent Tuesday night and as much time as we could Wednesday in Shipshewana, Indiana. It's in the heart of Amish Country. I honestly have mixed feelings about the place. Shipshewana has really become a tourist destination. There is a giant flea market and auction twice a week, and a couple of blocks of little shops, restaurants, etc. Many of them are staffed by Amish and Mennonites, but many are not. I loved the shops with homemade Amish items, from jams to rugs to paintings and more, but found myself a bit turned off by the other stores -- the ones that sold items I could get anywhere.

I found myself wondering about what the Amish people in Shipshewana thought. Are they glad for the business, that they're able to sell things and give buggy rides and wait on tables so they can earn money just like any other person? Or do they wish the area had stayed traditional, like many other Amish communities across the country?

I grew up in a rural area not too far from many Amish families. Sometimes on my way to or from Big Rapids I would take the "back way" and go down dirt roads, just to catch glimpses of the buggies and clothes on the line and families taking a break with some lemonade on their porch. A few years ago I went through a book-reading-phase where I read so many Amish stories by Beverly Lewis and Wanda Brunstetter and Beth Wiseman. (it even often inspired me to bake and clean!)

Sometimes I crave that simple life. To do away with [most] technology, to live off the land, to just tend my garden and bake my bread and raise my kids. But short of a major lifestyle change (that I know none of us are ready for), that's not going to happen to our family anytime soon. So I try to find ways to live a simple life right where I am. I know there are books and blogs galore on this topic, so I won't be short on ideas. I just have to go for it...

I have wondered this world far and wide
I've been all around to the other side
But there's nothin' like comin' home
Nothin' like comin' home

I wanna sit on my front porch and drink my lemonade
Cut my grass after church every Sunday
And go out on Saturday night
Live the simple life
Wake up in the morning to these fields of gold
And take a long walk down a gravel road

Spend my days in the sweet sunshine
Rock in my swing and watch my garden grow
Know that I'll always have someone to hold
Oh I-I-I wanna live the simple life

I wanna take a blanket down to the creek
And let the water sing me to sleep
Let go of time
Live the simple life
Lately I've seen too many city lights
I wanna go somewhere where I can see the stars at night

Spend my days in the sweet sunshine
Rock in my swing and watch my garden grow
Know that I'll always have someone to hold
Oh I-I-I wanna live the simple life


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Do you have any desire to live the simple life?