“Be as simple as you can be”

“Be as simple as you can be; you will be astonished to see how uncomplicated and happy your life can become.”

― Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi

Pre-covid, I was the Queen of needing comfort. I had operationalized my life so delightfully, or so I thought. 

All my electronics at home were connected to Alexa so I voice-controlled.  That way I could stay in bed to turn on the light by saying “Alexa, turn on Joy.” Amazon delivered everything including my weekly whole foods groceries with my favorite Forager cashew milk so I did not have to go to the stores. My cleaner cleaned home every two weeks. My dog walker walked my dog every day. I believed that doing so made me focus on things that were more “important.” 

Then I went to the jungles of Panama. 

There, life was so simple. In part, I was forced to live simply because many technologies were not available.  

I walked to a grocery store in the blasting heat bc they did not have uber. The store only had one kind of non dairy milk. 

I cleaned and broomed every morning because there were so many bugs dead on the floor (still mystery where they come from). They did not have a vacuum in the entire town. 

Let alone reliable internet, at times, electricity was out on the entire beach so my food in the fridge went bad. 

Receiving a delivery is unimaginable because we did not really have an address system.

At first, I complained it to be inconvenient. Then, what does being convenient even mean?  Doesn’t that imply my unspoken expectations of something to be done for me with minimal effort?  I used to believe that this would make me be more “productive.” Then what does being productive mean? Isn’t the point of life to be deeply present in each moment, and flow with the life energy itself?

Living the simple life, I slowly realized that I did not need anything that I used to have in SF for me to be happy.  

First of all, I was living out of handful clothes that fit in my two suitcases.  I had two storage full of belongings in SF and I did not need any of them for me to be happy.

I learned to do more things with my hands. In doing so, to my surprise, I felt more connected with life.  I felt more intimate with my own needs. I started seeing the tasks that I once used to view as “chores” as part of the flow of life. 

For the things that I had to “outsource” because I did not know how, they were often done by my local friends. Because they were my friends, there was not a sense of commodity or implied hierarchy of “payee” and “payer” that I often have with my service providers in the states. Our relationship was truly symbiotic that was based on genuine care for each other. I became deeply grateful for their service and ability to do things for me when they have absolutely no reason to do so.  

Living a simple life in Venao allowed me to be deeply in touch with the flow of life, nature, and people around me in the most authentic and honest way. In that space, I found true happiness, belonging, and connection.