Live simply

I have a small plaque on my wall that has a quote from Ghandi  that reads, "Live simply so that others may simply live".  It's difficult to do that here isn't it?  There are some things that I still marvel at how easy they seem and can't really understand why others complain that their not.  Taking eating healthy for example.  It is SO EASY to eat healthy here!  And yet so many people seem so confused by it, claiming that it's actually really hard.  I just don't understand - every box of food has a nutritional label that tells you what's in it and you can get fresh produce year round.  You can buy organic if you want, lactose free, gluten free, fat free, sugar free, omega-3 added, vitamin enriched...you name it.  Early this spring we put some seeds in the ground, water it once a day but hardly bother to weed it and we have beans, lettuce and tomatoes coming out of our ears.  And it's free!!  But even if you don't want to do that there's U-pick places, farmers market vendors and Hutterites that will do it all for you.  But living simply...I get that this is difficult.  There's so much pressure here to have stuff, keep up with trends, not deprive yourself of anything...and cheap (excuse me mother) crap made by unethical labor and sold in places like, well, you know where, are SO CHEAP that it's really hard to resist.  Oh who cares if it only last a few months, we think to ourselves.  I'll just throw it away and get another one because it was so affordable.  What does it mean to live simply anyways?  Because actually I wonder if it may cost about the same but just have you buying different things.  Buying locally.  Buying ethically.  Buying quality.  Recycling.  Not buying at all.  It's all of those little choices we make all day long - walk or ride my bike?  eat from the cafeteria or bring a lunch from home?  buy a coffee or learn to enjoy water again?  talk on skype or talk on the phone.  buy a new lipgloss I don't really need or refrain?  I'm far from mastering this call of Ghandi's which isn't just that we live simply, but that we live simply so that others may simply live.  Ways of helping to bring about the so that presents a whole new set of questions.  For another time.....