Simple Mind, Simple Living
- Angela Rouse
- Mar 15
- 4 min read
Escaping the Foolery
There comes a moment when you look around your life and quietly wonder:
How did things get so complicated?
Not the good kind of complicated. Not the rich, meaningful fullness of a life well lived.
I mean the kind of complicated that feels like noise deep inside your bones.
The constant rush. Pull, push. The endless responsibilities. The pressure to keep up, keep proving, keep producing.
And somewhere beneath all of that noise is a quiet whisper asking:
Was life supposed to feel like this?
I don’t believe it was. But what I have come to learn is some of the chaos was invited in by me. I opened the door when it knocked and allowed it in. I offered it a place to sit and stay awhile and even a cup of tea,
At some point, without really noticing, I began welcoming chaos into my life like an honored guest.
I gave it attention, energy, and eventually… my peace.
I now recognize this it is Foolery.
Foolery is everything that distracts us from the life that is already good and already enough.
It’s the endless comparison. The constant noise. The drama we tolerate. The pressure to do more, buy more, prove more.
Foolery convinces us that a life filled with noise must be a life filled with meaning.
But deep down, we know that isn’t true. When my so called meaningful life of noise and chaos came to a end, at first I thought what have I done to become so alone and isolated. Where are the friends, the co-workers the family members that I longed to be in front of and entertain as if my life depended on it. Where are the phone calls, the instructed needed for everyone so they would be okay in this crazy thing we call life.
The silence was so loud, (singer Oliva Dean).
The Life Right In Front of Me
The strange thing about the good life is that it’s rarely hidden.
It’s usually sitting quietly right in front of us.
It’s the morning light coming through the kitchen window. The peace of working with your hands. The quiet satisfaction of a meal shared at a table. The stillness of a moment with God, the Universe, Nature.
These things are simple.
But foolery makes us overlook them.
We have been trained to believe that simple means small.
But the truth is…
Simple is often sacred.
After My Awakening
This is where my story begins.
There is always a moment when the fog begins to lift.
A moment when you realize the chaos surrounding you isn’t just accidental.
Some of it was invited.
Some of it was tolerated.
Some of it was simply never questioned.
The moment I started asking myself deep questions like:
What if life could be simpler than this?
The Beginning of Simple Mind, Simple Living
I have come to believe that a simple life does not begin with your schedule.
It does not begin with your possessions.
It begins with your mind.
For me about 5 years ago I heard a song sung by a beautiful young lady and it brought me to my knees. I played this song for about a year every morning on my way to work in the chaos. The words to this song chipped away at a piece of my soul like I had never experienced in my life. The singer sung from the deepest part of her soul and that energy transferred a clear message for me. It was in the simple moments the things I was missing and couldn't see for a long time. I want you to stop reading, click the link and hear what started a beautiful journey of simplicity for me.
I know was that not one of the most beautiful sounds, song, awakening to your bones.
A simple mind is not an empty mind.
It is a mind that knows what matters and refuses to be distracted by what doesn’t.
It is a mind that recognizes foolery when it appears.
And gently but firmly shows it the door.
When the mind becomes simpler, something beautiful begins to happen.
Life begins to follow.
Your days slow down.
Your choices become clearer.
Your priorities begin to align with the life God designed us to live.
A life of presence.
A life of gratitude.
A life rooted in what is real.
This way of living rests on a simple truth:
A peaceful life begins with a disciplined mind.
From that mind grows a different kind of life.
A life that values:
Stillness over noise Purpose over busyness Connection over comparison Faith over fear
This is Simple Mind, Simple Living.
Not a trend.
Not a productivity system.
But a return.
A return to the kind of life humans were always meant to live.
Close to God. Close to the Universe. Close to Nature and Close one another our families, our community.
The Healing We Are All Looking For
Many of us are tired.
Not just physically tired.
But soul tired.
Tired of striving.
Tired of noise.
Tired of pretending that chaos is normal.
The healing we are looking for will not come from adding more to our lives.
It will come from removing what never belonged there in the first place.
Less foolery.
More clarity.
Less noise.
More presence.
Less chaos.
More peace.
A Question Worth Asking
These days, whenever something tries to take my peace, I pause and ask a simple question.
Is this necessary…
or is it foolery?
The answer usually tells me everything I need to know.
Bonus Song: Oliva Dean- Loud
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