Little Apples Are The Real Measures Of A Successful Life

                       Today, my wife and I went on our customary exploration walk - common to every vacation trip that we take. As per our usual routine, we managed to get thoroughly lost, and spent a full hour and one half attempting to navigate our way back to our hotel. Dehydrated, since we never thought to take water with us, we were fortunate to find a 7-11.

                      I am not a lover of apples, generally. However, overpriced as it was, we opted to buy an apple each at the convenience store. The first bite was incredible! The second was almost as delicious. The remainder was okay. Isn't it peculiar how, when we have been denied our little pleasures, how critical they become to us? The more of the apple that I ate, the less significant it became. And when I had nothing, but was in need of a few bites and a burst of moisture for my parched throat, the most trivial item filled me with delight. Had I just finished a gourmet meal, the simple red fruit would have provided no enticement.

                            In every city around the world, you will find pockets of abject poverty and, not far away, pockets of immoderate opulence. In the former, residents scrounge to survive and worry about choosing between heat or food in the home, while in the latter, self-denial may consist of buying a Buick instead of a Lexus or Mercedes. The pinnacle of success in the low-income household may be having a full-time job and access to cable television and Internet coverage. The definition of failure in the high-income household may be not owning a vacation condominium in Grand Cayman Island.

                         In North America, we set an unreasonable standard that defines success - a touchstone that is unattainable for most, yet unnecessary for all of us. The illusion is that each of us can climb the materialistic ladder to success, and become one of the elite, living in the insular pocket that protects us from need and want. In so doing, we deny ourselves the opportunity to enjoy all that life offers. It is ironic that the more that we own, the less each of those items and markers means to us.

                      In the 1960s, "successful" families owned a color television, and one car. In the 1980s, the average family owned almost two cars and two televisions. Now, many low income families own multiple Internet-ready cell phones and multiple entertainment units, including game consoles, televisions, computer units and so on. Yet, we fail to appreciate the apples in life.

                    At the risk of offending everyone in the low-income bracket, we should be lowering our standards and definition of success. Each day, little miracles and wondrous experiences pass us by, in our race to acquire all the material things that we are told define success and make life enjoyable. The scents of a busy city can be as stimulating as the aroma of a countryside pathway. The sound of a rumbling train rivals the melodic twitter of a songbird. The reality is that every moment in life begs to be appreciated, instead of hindering our struggle to climb the mountain of irrelevant material wealth.

                    This is the central theme of voluntary simplicity: to maximize our enjoyment of each moment without the need to own all the facets and ingredients that make up those moments. It is a principle that many of us who have lived through poverty have learned, sometimes too late. Little things have value, and each moment, whether it is experienced by the rich or the poor, lasts equally as long.

                         Unfortunately, this lesson is one that we are reluctant to learn and the philosophy difficult to believe, because we have been inoculated against the disease of personal happiness. So long as we can climb the ladder of success, whatever rung we find ourselves perched on simply is not high enough. Whatever beauty there is in any moment, it will be more beautiful when we can own it, rather than just enjoying it for free. Little moments, in truth, are not so little. They are the foundation of our daily lives, yet we wish them away, craving the narcotic fix of someone else's definition of success.

                          I hope, though, that on your next little trip through life, that you get lost and happen upon the most valuable treasure you can experience - a juicy, sweet, little apple.

                                Among other interests, Robert Lee is a writer who focuses on ethical considerations in business and living life simply. He is the author of six books, including The Last Drop of Living, A Minimalist's Guide to Living The High Life On A Low Budget and Wild People I Have Known. His blogs include http://findingtheoasis.blogspot.com, as well as blogs on minimal living, living in a yurt, harvesting wild plants and eco-innovations.

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