Everybody has heard the adage and most like to say they believe it too. Some actually do believe it and have gone so far as to incorporate this doctrine in their lives…

Whichever way you perceive it, ‘It’s the simple things in life that matter’.

I used to have expendable cash. I don’t anymore. I used to be that guy who appeared to have ample everything. I’m not anymore. I don’t spend much money at all these days. I’m not tight though. I just don’t have money. I have had to adapt to a new way of life. I have to be prudent with the money I do have. I’m not bothered by that though. I quite enjoy it. I get by. I never was big on wasting money anyway. I never did see the point.

So yes, they can drive their expensive cars, they can wear their flash clothes, dine at their fancy restaurants then perhaps head out to the opera; I’d sooner drive home in my ’92 Primera, change into a check shirt and Stubbies, cook my own bloody meal and spend the night getting better acquainted with an old buddy, Hard Rock.

I once overheard a conversation between two couples trying to outdo each other regarding how much money they had spent during a night out. The victorious duo was pushing $1000. This wasn’t a special occasion, this was just a young, frivolous couple of people, carefree and cashed-up.

These people seemed to have forgotten the happiness and beautiful simplicity of a life before Gainful Career Opportunities teamed up with The Almighty Dollar and possessed the souls of so many; a time where satisfaction was sought not via the swiping of credit cards but through peaceful strolls amid serene landscapes; where amusement was found not within the darkened seats of movie theatres but through sunlit yarns over cups of coffee; where gratification was secured not through a stint of mindless retail therapy followed by an all night bender but through working, earning then rewarding oneself with something worthwhile – something that would stick around a little longer than a bloody hangover.

Alas in this consumer world of one technological breakthrough after the other where chain stores don’t ever seem to sell anything above cost, a great many people appear to have lost sight of the basics, the roots; the rudiments of what make life great.

When did it become acceptable to burn through a weeks’ pay and have nothing to show for it? When did an expensive SUV become the representation of a cohesive family? When did money wasting become a status symbol? When did young people become so damned entitled? When did we stop appreciating the simple pleasures in favour of newfangled crap?

Ultimately, and whether or not you’re like me where the simple things are more or less the only thing given that anything too complex usually results in my shortcomings thus failings, chances are the simple things – the simple pleasures – will be not only more satisfying than their high maintenance counterparts, but more meaningful too.

Embrace them while you can.

Article by Tim Walker

Edited by Taki Tefur

Photography by Grant Tedd