When I went to my last book signing, a lady came by my table and looked at some of my poems. She picked up a copy of The Simple Joys and read it. She then looked at me and asked, “Did you write this on a computer?” When I told her that I had, she said, ” Well, there. See. ” She seemed to think that I was being hypocritical by using a modern convenience to write about the simple life. I beg to differ.

The poem is more a longing for a simpler time and way of life. And an appreciation of the simpler things in life. We don’t always need as much as we think we do.  And although we need money to pay our bills and to live, in the end it is not money that brings us happiness.

Although we use modern day appliances and electronics to make our lives easier, it does not take away from the fact that our lives would be much less complicated sometimes without all of the high tech items our lives revolve around today. I enjoy modern living as much as the next person, but I wasn’t trying to take away from the modern day world that we live in. I only wanted people to appreciate the simpler things in life as well.

The things in life that are pure, and true, and honest. We’ve lost so much of ourselves to society at large. I just wish we could reclaim some of that and remember who we really are and what is really important to us. What really makes us happy. And in the end, I don’t think it is about how many new toys we can acquire. Try to hold onto the things that bring lasting and eternal value. I truly believe that real joy comes from the simple things in life.

That being said, would I wear a diamond ring, or use modern day appliances, or use a computer to make my life easier? You bet your sweet blog I would!