Simple Is Complex
like untangling the laces and sifting the lumps.
“To put it simply…”
“I’m keeping it simple..”
“Back to basics…”
“I simply don’t know..”
“This is such a simple idea..” 1
But the truth is, simple is rarely easy, nor as plain as it sounds. Basic and simplicity are not the absence of complexity - rather there is a thought about a quiet, intentional sifting of life’s clutter, both external and internal.
Simple, in it’s honest definition, hints at a lesser, plainer, uncomplicated version of something. To get there, there is a sifting. Sorting. A thoughtful reduction. An attempt to reduce something and that process is not that simple.
Uncomplicated is anything but easy.
Is anything in life *actually* simple?
Is simple, fewer items on my to-do and a 4-ingredient dinner plan?
Is it simply reorganising household shelves?
Perhaps it’s subtracting factors in life - choosing the path of least resistance- to make something a little more easier?
If so, then I am wrestling with a different version of simple that boarders on being complicated. It is false to think these concepts are separate. Simple and complicated are intricately connected, perhaps they are more like two threads in the same knot—intricately linked, laces tied together, holding on a single shoe.
To remain simple, is not boring or plain, because to get there the path was probably complex.
When life feels complex and overwhelming, my instinct is to reach for less:
Streamline.
Remain offline.
Decline.
Align.
Draw the line.
These short term measures do assure me with momentary peace. They look like simplicity, but hold me temporarily in external simplicity. There is an internal mode that asks how did I get here in the first place.
I scan through the recipe
“Sift together all the dry ingredients” it says. I ignore the word sift - who has time for that. I toss the ingredients into the bowl via my own shaking-of-the-cups method. Is there a difference if I use a sifter or not?
It is easier to skip that simple step.
A assume it makes no difference. Yet when I assess the end result, the banana bread is dense and a tad lumpy.
I backtrack. There it was at the beginning. The sifting, or in my case the absence of it.
Sifting creates a lightness by breaking up the lumps. There is a science to baking, not only to the measures but the method. An accurate measure of ingredients alongside the method produces a successful end result.
Simplifying, like sifting is not passive.
Simple is not lazy - quite the opposite.
It is not skipping steps—it’s understanding which ones matter.
Harder is the work of sifting—pausing, evaluating, lightening the load before we even begin.
Simple means remaining uncomplicated in relationships. Living without hidden agendas takes work, showing up for hard conversations, forgiving, apologising, communicating, grace and untying complexities so it functions. It moves the sifter through the important things, so that we remain as close to simple as a friend, parent, partner, colleague, neighbour while still being human.
It’s being a good steward of what’s mine to carry rather than sliding the measuring stick against others in the noise of “more” is “more”. The simple (I won’t buy into it) is dressed in complexity (how do I remain authentic to that).
It’s easy to throw all the ingredients of life into the bowl and expect it to rise. Or even better, try to simplify by using someone else’s ingredients - how they live, shop, socialise, spend or parent - and throw that in our mix assuming it will have the same result ** hello social media influencers**
What looks like simplifying actually requires sifting through life to assess budgets, activities, agendas, actuality and aspirations - rather than taking away random parts that steal the appearance of nice and simple.
And isn’t that the point of simplifying? It’s not about fewer steps—but the right ones. Some steps, especially the small and easy-to-skip ones, are crucial to the final result.
Because sometimes, simplicity asks us to deal with the quiet, complexity underneath of why we do what we do.
A kind of inner decluttering. Not just rearranging the outside, but sifting the inside.
There is no complete resolution to acquiring simple. The internal expectations often become complex equations, but less and less, they are tied to me as obligations that I am required to solve for everyone else.
Simplicity feels more like clarity about what happened to get me there in the first place. That start to untangling the laces and sifting the lumps.
Hello Dear Reader, whether this is your first time or a subsequent visit , welcome to these pages of Minutes & Moments. This is the *Blog. Hop* edition - for April
With so much content available to read, thank you for choosing to spend time with these words. My hope is that these stories spark meaningful thoughts—as if we are chatting together.
Your invitation to connect and support these regular words - free- because people are life and connecting with you here, is such a treat.
Ness x
This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in the series "Simple”
Chat GPT may of provided me some more examples here, I am unsure, because the filter for my writing sits in my own space not that of AI - just in case you started to go there,
I LOVE the parallel here. Thanks for leaving me with something to ponder. I desire a “simple” life with my kids, but you’re right, it takes thought and intentional choices! 💕
Loved these lines: "Simple and complicated are intricately connected, perhaps they are more like two threads in the same knot—intricately linked, laces tied together, holding on a single shoe."
And "It is not skipping steps—it’s understanding which ones matter.
Harder is the work of sifting—pausing, evaluating, lightening the load before we even begin." So true. Those thoughts will stick with me!