View Full Version : Simple living/minimalist heroes?
In another thread a fellow SLer on here (Kestra) mentioned one of her "minimalist heroes" and it got me thinking.
Who is your simple living hero? Who is the minimalist you look up to? It could be someone well-known or little known, perhaps a blogger or someone with a youtube channel or even just someone you know who lives their simple life quietly but sets a profound example for you.
Some great food for thought this morning. It turned into a long list with various categories, as my thoughts tend to do.
Bloggers:
As I previously mentioned, Glenn from To Simplify (http://www.tosimplify.net/) for van living, minimalism, and just general non-mainstreamness.
David from Raptitude (http://www.raptitude.com/) (which I highly recommend and only just discovered), who joined the FB group I recently created to try to meet more like-minded people in real life so hopefully I'll meet him in person soon.
Other Forum Members:
A past member of this forum, who I don't think has been around for a few years now, but made a big impression on me, Loose Chickens, who is an early-retired, RV living, nudist. She was a great example to me of the kind of life I wanted back when I was nowhere close to having that life.
Some of the longtime forum members who have been kicking around here with me on/off for a decade, Spartana, lhamo, Iris Lily, Stella are the ones that come to mind (not purposely excluding anyone else). All of these ladies have quite different lifestyles, but why I admire them all is the way they live and share so openly and authentically. They never apologize for being who they are.
From the forums as well, Fawn, who wrote this amazing book (http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Errand-Fawn-Hoener/dp/0615677541/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436452205&sr=8-1&keywords=holy+errand) about her work as a hospice nurse. I'm in awe of the way she conducts her life and work.
My good friend I met here, fidgiegirl, who is my partner in Scanner/gluten-free/business-creation crime, among the other things we have in common. I'm looking forward to finally meeting her in real life when I head to the Twin Cities soon.
From the non-internet world:
My parents, who are definitely not the best parents, and our relationship is complicated, but nevertheless got me started out in life not expecting to be part of the mainstream with their hippie, multicultural, non-conformist, sort-of frugal, ways.
A couple who were friends of my parents when I was a child who were DINKs and had just the most peaceful home and wonderful life, unlike the chaos at my house, who showed me a type of life more suited to my personality, and that child-free was an actual choice one could make.
A lady I met briefly who lived in a nice trailer on a large piece of land with rescue animals. Her parents had their own trailer on the same property. Her house was so warm and cozy and her life seemed so perfect and peaceful.
My friend, TL, who is the calmest, most peacefully happy person I have ever met. She takes everything in stride and is the only person I know who I don't think I've ever heard complain or gossip. I want to be more like her. She just has this inner grace that is hard to find.
My friend TF who is a hippie mother, who I can freely share my hippie ways with, without feeling weird about it. She's had a lot of challenges in her life and just keeps on going.
My good friend and kindred spirit, N, who has the soul of a Simple Liver, though his life is decidedly unsimple at the moment. He's the most compassionate, intelligent, and thoughtful person I've met. Meeting him started a cascade affect that resulted in the wonderful life I have now. He helped me realize that there are other people like me out there and I'm eternally grateful to have him as a friend.
Those are the people that come to mind first. It's an interesting exercise to reflect on the qualities in others that you want to emulate. Clearly I like peaceful people.
freshstart
7-9-15, 11:47am
Some great food for thought this morning. It turned into a long list with various categories, as my thoughts tend to do.
From the forums as well, Fawn, who wrote this amazing book (http://www.amazon.com/Holy-Errand-Fawn-Hoener/dp/0615677541/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436452205&sr=8-1&keywords=holy+errand) about her work as a hospice nurse. I'm in awe of the way she conducts her life and work.
.
I can't wait to read this! I was a hospice nurse for ten years and it changes who you are or brings out who are really are
Ultralight
7-9-15, 11:52am
freshstart:
Could you elaborate just a bit?
freshstart
7-9-15, 12:24pm
not sure what you are looking for, but let me know if this is ok. I was a nurse for 23 years for the same hospital system, started in oncology, did home care, then radiation oncology and finally found my niche in Hospice home care. Most gratifying and meaningful job I ever had. You were given time to nurse the way it should be done, this is non-existent anywhere else I can see in medicine. You truly worked as a team with a social worker and chaplain. People let you into their homes at their most vulnerable times in their life. You couldn't fix everything but we could make a lot of things better, reduce suffering. You are taught in nursing not to get over-involved or cross boundaries, which we didn't in Hospice first, because the boundaries are different and second, most cases you leave a little of yourself behind and carry away a little piece of that family in your heart. It also is the most evidence that frugal is best because none of your lifelong collection of knick knacks is coming with you, lol. Is this along the lines you were looking for? If not, let me know. I had to stop working in Sept due to unexpected illness, they finally had to fill my position June 1, 5 days short of my 23 years. Leaving hospice was one of the hardest things I've had to do. It becomes part of your identity, a life of service. Maybe not for everyone, but most of the staff I worked with felt that way. I look forward to reading your friend's book.
Simple Living/Minimalism Heroes:
Helen & Scott Nearing
St. Francis
Peace Pilgrim
Daniel Suelo
My permaculture mentors and friends
These are just a few that come to the top of my mind.
ETA: thanks for sharing your experience, freshstart. I work in healthcare (not as an HCP, but as a marketer) and I'm always so inspired by the passion oncologists have and how much they love working with patients at these most vulnerable points in their lives--just as you've state here. Working with devastating and sometimes terminal illness is truly a calling and God bless you guys for doing it.
Ultralight
7-9-15, 12:52pm
freshstart:
Thank you for your wisdom. And I hope you can recover or at least treat your illness.
Catherine:
Good call on Daniel Suelo! That man is like a living, breathing myth. Should I Google the Nearings, St. Francis, and Peace Pilgrim?
Whoever this guy is... whoa! His level of simple living is heroic! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xas9RPnCF0w
Catherine:
Good call on Daniel Suelo! That man is like a living, breathing myth. Should I Google the Nearings, St. Francis, and Peace Pilgrim?
St Francis grounds me, I always go back
freshstart
7-11-15, 1:56am
Simple Living/Minimalism Heroes:
Working with devastating and sometimes terminal illness is truly a calling and God bless you guys for doing it.
it was both a calling and a blessing, I have no words to accurately describe what that job did for me, I just know that I got back way more than I gave. I am actually mourning it, because serving the dying, (I was lucky to find the perfect job for me) is my life's purpose or so I thought. And now that purpose is gone. I know when I feel better I will volunteer doing something. If I ever get to nurse again, that is what I want to go back to but I highly doubt they will ever re-hire me because HR made them hold my position for over 6 months, they were not happy about that. And our hospice is the only game in town for 7 counties. So on my agenda, get much better and find a new life purpose. No big deal, I got this (not), lol.
Ultralight
7-14-15, 10:57am
Check out these two minimalist/simple living heroes! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiDLRiOHxq4
Ultralight
7-15-15, 1:52pm
Jose Mujica is a simple living hero! http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/18/-sp-is-this-worlds-most-radical-president-uruguay-jose-mujica
To me it is Joe Dominguez. Not even sure who I would put in the second place slot.
Ultralight
7-15-15, 4:10pm
To me it is Joe Dominguez. Not even sure who I would put in the second place slot.
Classic choice!
crunchycon
7-15-15, 4:26pm
To me it is Joe Dominguez. Not even sure who I would put in the second place slot.
+1 to this choice. Hard to believe he's been gone nearly 30 years. For #2, maybe Joe's partner Vicki Robin?
Ultralight
7-15-15, 4:27pm
Vicki Robin is quite amazing in her own right! Without a doubt.
Williamsmith
7-15-15, 4:28pm
This one is not mainstream and certainly a lesser known name but I found her little book to be just what I needed on my retirement at age 51. Jose Hobday. A Franciscan Nun and Seneca Elder. Her book - Simple Living : The Way to Inner Freedom is full of thoughts that challenge your personal beliefs on possessions.
Ultralight
7-15-15, 4:29pm
This one is not mainstream and certainly a lesser known name but I found her little book to be just what I needed on my retirement at age 51. Jose Hobday. A Franciscan Nun and Seneca Elder. Her book - Simple Living : The Way to Inner Freedom is full of thoughts that challenge your personal beliefs on possessions.
Now I want to look into that book!
Mother Teresa carried only a little bag with a few belongings in it.
My friend Esteban. Esteban is amazing. He teaches about handbuilt houses and is living on about 10 acres in Mexico, in a tiny handbuilt adobe house, composting toilet, water from the river, no electricity. Growing much of his own food. And I think his cost of living is probably in the neighborhood of $1,000 a year. He's one of those people who makes everything he touches beautiful, his whole life seems like a minimal, earth-centered work of art.
Now I want to look into that book!
I agree--and actually, I just bought a used copy on Amazon. It looks TOTALLY up my alley. Thanks for the recommendation, Williamsmith!
One of my favorite SL heroes (besides Thoreau, of course) is Eric Hoffer, author of "The True Believer." He lived exceedingly simply, in a studio apartment in California, surrounded by his favorite books and not much else.
This one is not mainstream and certainly a lesser known name but I found her little book to be just what I needed on my retirement at age 51. Jose Hobday. A Franciscan Nun and Seneca Elder. Her book - Simple Living : The Way to Inner Freedom is full of thoughts that challenge your personal beliefs on possessions.
Well, I did buy a used copy on Amazon, and received it yesterday, and it's wonderful! It's very slim, but to the point. The best part are the early chapters in which she describes what simple living is. Here's a nice excerpt taken from this profile (http://wisdomvoices.com/jose-hobday-a-perfect-example-of-the-simple-life/) of her life.
“Simple living is not about elegant frugality…It is not about harsh rules and stringent regulations…simple living is about freedom. Freedom is about choices: Freedom to choose less rather than more. It’s about choosing time for people and ideas and self-growth rather than for maintenance and guarding and possessing and cleaning.
“Simple living is about moving through life rather lightly, delighting in the plain and the subtle. Simple living has fewer knots and more bows than scattered and cluttered living. Simple living is a relaxed grasp on money, things, and even friends. Simplicity cherishes ideas and relationships. Simple living is not easy. It is not difficult to live a scattered, fragmented, harried, disconnected life. It is difficult to say focused, to live out of a center that allows for calm choices and considered decisions.”
Again, thanks for the recommendation, Williamsmith!
Williamsmith
8-29-15, 9:01pm
Catherine...I'm glad you found the book as inspiring as I did. Being surrounded by consumerism it is hard be open to ideas that connect freedom with simplicity. This woman truly had it figured out and she was so humble.
I just started reading the book too . It's simple but profound. Really good
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