Simply Complicated

After a first half of the day filled with ups and downs, I came home hungry. So, I just whipped together something, and it hit the spot perfectly. Quick little bundle of thin noodles boiled. Topped with a sliced pork chop, some chopped green onions, and some chili oil. It was delicious.

I'm sure there are some days when The French Laundry, with its morel mushrooms and tomato diamonds, are the way to go. But today, simplicity ruled the day.

A simple meal like this got me thinking about how often our lives are not simple. The pleasures that we enjoy are so often no longer the simple ones. Or - in pursuing convenience or security, or even more noble pursuits like love or compassion - we layer our lives with more and more complexity.

Granted, my life would be simpler if I lived alone, interacted with no one, and kept to myself. So it was clearly a conscious decision of mine to do things like marry a wonderful girl or build into friendships that I valued. These things were well worth it to me, even though they complicated my life.

Some people own dogs, even though doing so clearly complicates their lives. They do it because the pleasure of their canine companion far outweighs the complexity cost they experience. That's fine (but I don't think I could ever own a dog).

But I do want to do some good thinking about what things I have let seep into my life which make my life needlessly more complicated. That is, find those things where the cost of complexity outweigh the benefits. For example, owning two cars meant worrying doubly much about the cost of gas and insurance or keeping up with maintenance and registration, etc. Our lives are simpler now with just one car. And, riding the DART is pretty darn good.

So then, what are those things in life that I own or pursue which... have more control over me than I do over it? What are those things in my life that I thought would simplify my life but actually complicate it instead? I should make a list...