Does anybody long for a simpler life?

[sxcizme3010]

Im becoming strangely nostalgic.. Starting to want a slower pace of life... Chickens in the garden, logs on the burner... Go back to a time where there was no Internet, social media etc.. Where you could walk into a market and buy all your groceries, pay with cash and head on home to cook a delightful meal for your family..

I know its a rose tinted glasses outlook as some modern advances are hugely beneficial but I do long for a simpler time.. a more fulfilling life maybe.

Anybody feel the same? Or am I heading for that midlife crisis 😹

You're yearning for a past that never really existed for the vast majority and only exists now for a very small, wealthy minority who like to cos-play at 'living the simple life'. Definitely rose-tinted specs!

What are you dissatisfied with in your life? It's never too late to make changes.

Where you could walk into a market and buy all your groceries, pay with cash and head on home to cook a delightful meal for your family..

You can still do that OP. I did, just this week. What's stopping you?

Isn't one in my local area unfortunately. We have a grocers that delivers in fairness so I could look at a weekly delivery for veg.

Or just - go to the grocers! Have a lovely chat, choose some nice produce, walk home, cook a lovely meal.

You don't like social media? Don't go on it as much.

Be the change you want, OP!

As an aside, it sounds like you need to move to a market town. We have a weekly market here, a monthly farmer's market, and shops and cafes that sell and use local produce.

If Im honest, I don't know. I don't know if I am dissatisfied... I just feel like I want a slower pace. No work whatsapp groups, no rat race, no social media constantly selling us stuff or advertising, little expectations on other people etc... These days it feels like everybody is offended by everything (I know that's an over-exaggeration but you get the jist), constant demands on your time and everything has to be publicly done.. eg I wished somebody a happy birthday in person with a card and then got questioned by a family member why I didn't wish them a happy birthday on SM... Its all gone crazy

YES! I have already had that thought. There's a market town around 8 miles away and it has such a nice little vibe about the place.

No

I have a log burner (not lit today!) and I go to the market. I know my neighbours, walk everywhere, all the kids play out in a big rabble in the lane. We read books and listen to the radio and don't use phones at home. MN is the only social media I use. I'm not anti tech - I love my computers - but my house isn't filled with gadgets and noise. I like walking about and sitting under trees and going slowly, so I do that.

I'm not rich and don't live in a posh place, just a normal market town. You can live a simpler life if you want, OP.

It sounds amazing! Im going to make some small changes and get some different routines

I would have thought thats obvious, there isnt one nearby, not one in walking distance, everything is cashless (yes even market stalls)

We dont have anywhere in walking distance that is like a grocery market of old and we live in a town. The greengrocers is too expensive to shop at and dont even think about the butchers

I do. If I could click a button and erase AI, social media and smart phones I would. I'd keep the car's sat nav 😂.

I get a local veg box and try to grow some of my own food. I love being a sahm. I feel lucky to be in an area where I mostly don't need a car.

Yup, and am in the final stages of moving closer to it. Downsizing. Moving from a city to a village on the outskirts of a market town. I'll be able to cycle to the grocers/butchers/bakers etc (might not pay with cash though), it's close to the beach so exercising will be somewhere a bit wild rather than in a bustling urban park, the house already has a space for chickens. My cohort of friends are increasingly in favour of being smart phone free, we're investing in landlines so we and the kids can keep in touch without the tech. DH and I have even spoken about going back to a desktop so the internet is in a fixed location. Lots of ideas, I'm sure some will stick and others will have been over romanticised and won't travel well into 2025. But on the whole I'm looking forward to moving towards everything being a tad less frantic.

My life is like that.

We have chickens, fruit trees, a veg plot and a wood burner.

Every Saturday we walk into town to the butcher, greengrocer and sweet shop 😆.

And I cook and bake most of our food from scratch.

It takes some planning and work but it's worth it. I love my life.

I completely understand.

I moved out of London 3 years ago to move to a small seaside town. I am happy with a slower pace of life, growing my own fruits and vegs, looking after two cats and enjoying the sea and the beach.

There is a market every Saturday and I try to use the local high street/independent shops as much as I can.

I also furnished my house with stuff that I up cycled and got from charity shops and Freegle.

Much happier.

The next and final stage is to get rid of a job that sometimes requires me to visit my company's London head office and work remotely or locally as I want nothing to do anymore with crowded public transport and the constant stress of being in a big city.

The previous comments just cement my longing for that slower lifestyle. Im 30 mins from the lake district and I only visit occasionally... I love the great outdoors and need to work out a way to try and detangle myself and forge a way into my "ideal" life. Having a veg patch and having a more fulfilling lifestyle generally

This does sound exhausting OP! I've heard of people having total mental breakdown because if the pressures to keep up with the Joneses on socials and make sure you're posting the right things at the right time and are being seen to be doing stuff a certain way. I no longer have personal profiles, only work ones. Wish I didn't have to have those even (!) but I keep them on my work devices so it's something of a boundary at least. A few friendships have slipped along the way. Had a friend stop talking to me because I didn't contact her when she was pregnant or after the birth of her daughter, but she hadn't actually told me it was happening, only posted it on social media which I didn't have so I didn't know. She didn't mention anything on WhatsApp despite us speaking several times (was waiting for me to acknowledge it apparently🤯) then ghosted me. But many have made an effort to keep up with me regardless of being on fb. Feels like one of those situations where you discover who your true friends are.

Also have set my WhatsApp so that people can send me invites to groups but they can't add me automatically, so I get some autonomy. I largely use WhatsApp web and keep the app off my phone (annoyingly have to download it every now and again as WhatsApp web boots you off periodically). I'm trying to be brave enough to forgo the smart phone entirely but im rather reliant on the map app, mainly for avoiding traffic. Haven't worked out how to traverse that one yet.

It's all been a real boost for my mental health honestly. Would recommend taking steps which work for you rather than being beholden to anyone else's expectations on how your life should look.

Fine when the kids are young or you have no kids.

I don't think teens will be enamoured with the simple life.

I'm also 30 minutes from the Lake District, I live in a little hamlet 3 miles from a market town, I have a log burner and only tonight went to a local farm shop for my fruit and vegetables. I read, I sew and I pontificate. Life still has its challenges but overall I'm happy

I recently deleted all social media and it’s been wonderful. Can recommend.

Oh my goodness, its crazy isn't it. If I have news, I pick up the phone, I tell people when I see them etc.. All this craziness over social media is mental. Then you have the people who don't bother in real life and only wish people well etc on social media...

If I could vote to ban it all, I would! Whatsapp groups at work where people try to one up one another or put up passive aggressive messages etc.. I have no time not patience for it. Life's far too short to be wasting energy on this nonsense

Yes although I think I'm probably living it to an extent, but with the necessity of doing a 9 to 5 unfortunately. It's all the STUFF. I feel like I'm over burdened with belongings, the house is too big to keep clean and tidy.
I want to declutter, downsize and find the time for growing some veg😆

I totally get it OP. I don’t know why some people are being so dismissive. We’ve recently moved to a quieter area by the sea & I’m enjoying building a more simple life. Swimming in the sea, growing veg, reading in the garden. Less tv, social media & noise! Loving it so far.

Not everybody is the same. We're happy as we are.

Yes! Give me a ranch in Nashville and no Internet service any day. I’m an introvert and just want to live peacefully lol