Simple lifestyles that give me joy 😄😍💕

I recently saw a little boy in tattered clothing, yet the happiness and joy that exuded from his countenance was exhilarating as it was overwhelming. My conclusion was that happiness does not necessarily emanate from abundance but from the heart. I have had many events that would naturally weigh down my emotions, but adopting a simple and minimal lifestyle approach to life has tremendously imbibed contentment and gratitude as attributes of my life. I would love to share with you a few of my simple lifestyle mechanisms that have given me joy. These may look simple, but they do not cause me any headaches.

A.) I enjoy the scent that comes when I enter homes, and although my apartment is relatively big for a single occupant, when I have my bulk purchases either quarterly or bi-annually, I do well to include air fresheners with sweet-smelling flavors. When I make such purchases, I buy them from wholesale supermarkets, and the cost of such air fresheners is amazingly cheap, yet they dish out breadth-loving fragrances. Here below is one of the few remaining air fresheners I hang in specific parts of the house, and in addition, I have one that I can spray even though I have to do that often. With about a dollar, I can get five air fresheners to hang in my apartment that would last me at least a month.

B.) My choice of bathing soap is not necessarily influenced by the sensitivity of my skin but by affordability and constituents. Dettol soap is an antibacterial soap in Nigeria and occasionally can serve as a multipurpose soap. The liquid dettol is also applied to bathing water to help kill germs. Beyond the soap just washing off dirt from my skin, I enjoy the fragrance and confidence of the protection cover. A pack of large-sized dettol soap goes for about $3 or less, which takes me about two to three months.

C.) I have recently adopted the attitude of drinking water every morning and, in addition, taking more water than carbonated drinks. Water quality is also a problem to contend with, as impure water would do more harm than good. We popularly call water in sachets that have undergone some levels of purification "pure water", but the confidence level in them is worrisome as it is possible to see elements, sediments, or substances in them prior to consumption. Most pure water sachets are unfortunately not pure, but beyond drinking water, I make the extra effort to opt for products from reputable companies, and recently, I have just recovered from sepsis with gastrointestinal focus. This made me opt for pure water from Unilorin (a tertiary institution in Kwara state), as there is a high chance that the management of the institution would not compromise standards of purification. A bag of pure water containing 20 sachets costs N240 ($0.2) compared to buying a sachet each for N20 ($0.02) from the neighborhood, which would be costlier.

D.) One of the challenges for me is finding time to rest or engage in activities. Knowing fully well that my profession and work are hectic and run between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. every day, I bought a Ludo board game to play with my friends whenever they come around. The bicycle was also bought about three months ago, and I had to learn how to ride it. Every evening when I come back, I do ride the bicycle within my compound as a form of exercise to help me keep fit and have my mental balance in check. I hope to procure some other simple games, like scrabble, that will keep me mentally alert. I do not have to visit the gym to exercise; with my bicycle, I am good to go.

E.) I got a prepaid meter fixed in July and enjoyed a supposedly "free", credit unit that came with it, only to be informed that I would be paying for the free credit. Nothing is free, even in Freetown. I have a solar system package from MTN, which supplies me with power after a monthly subscription of about N8,000 ($6.7). I recently purchased a N1000 credit unit into the prepaid meter and was given 7 units of power, which would last a regular household a day or two if the power supply is constant. Seeing that I could not sustain the 7 units of electricity credit, especially as I love to see light, charge my electrical gadgets, and use a fan to have some cool breeze over my head, I had to take serious steps. During the day, I am hardly home because of work, and the solar/inverter gets charged for me to use at night. I chose to minimize the gadgets I use on the solar between dusk and dawn and use the general power supply from the government only when I need to press my clothes with iron. This was how I used seven credit units of electricity for about two weeks. I enjoy the solar system even if it can't pick up heavy items in the house like a microwave, nor can I enjoy the luxury of electricity. Sometimes my neighbors have electricity from the government, but I content myself with the use of the solar system, of which I hope to have full ownership in about 19 months.

With this simple lifestyle, I get to enjoy life with contentment and have my basic provisions give me joy.

Thank you for reading. I would love to have your comments and contributions.

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