LA, Simplicity: What is it to be simple?

LA: Simplicity
What is it to be simple?

We concluded our first day of Immersion enjoying authentic Mexican food on
park benches where families and friends had gathered to celebrate a young girl’s
birthday (denoted by the lovely pink and white balloons) and where children
enjoyed sliding down a gravel slope using a flattened cardboard box. Each and
every one of us marveled at the beauty, the innocence, and the simplicity of the
children as their squeals of happiness were heard. It even inspired one of our
very own Immersion participants to roll down the grassy hillJ After satisfying our
tummy’s growls and enjoying each other’s company, we made our way back to
Delores Mission and were met with a mesmerizing sight. There, in front of us,
was one of the most beautiful sunsets we had ever seen: purple, pink, blue and
pale green against the skyscrapers of Los Angeles. We all just stood there, in
awe, soaking it in, and being present to the sunset, each other, and our own
beings. Had we had our phones, our technology, we would not have been
present, we would not have really seen the sunset. Instead, we would be
overcome with the need to share it with the world, to post a picture on facebook,
to tweet, to instagram. And even then we wouldn’t be satisfied; we would
constantly pull out our phones to see how many likes, how many comments, our
posts received. Enjoying a day of simplicity, a moment even, really enabled us to
be present and to recognize the small pleasures, the small joys. We were not
focused in capturing the sunset with our phone cameras, instead we saw it with
our very own eyes, and captured it in our hearts. While photos may get deleted
or whither in time, the picture that each one of us took with our eyes and hearts
will forever remain. Being simple and embracing simplicity allowed us to really
enjoy the pastel sunset, the colorful balloons, and the delight of the children. Our
dinner, our environment was very humble, yet it was the simplicity that enabled
us to enjoy our evening together as community, as family.
~Alyna Merali