Live as Simple as a Sparrow
Everyone should have their dreams come true at least once. It gives you a chance to see how much you asked from the universe and whether you really want it. Everyone’s “have it all” is different. For me the “all” was a house of my own, with a rental unit, a big vegetable garden, a hectic career where I got to travel often, and a fun relationship. Everything I did had to be weighed against the 17 other obligations I had. I missed writing. I missed being spontaneous. I missed being me.
What is your zoo made of? My personal “zoo” was a life so busy that I felt trapped within it. I needed to simplify.
The Zoo
Are you in the zoo? Living a simpler life allows you to live in the zoo on your own terms. Like a lot of people, I dreamed of retirement when everything would magically be less complicated and I could travel through life as free as a bird. I felt trapped in a cage of my own making with little chance of escape. Then I realized that if I scaled back my lifestyle before I retired, I could reap the benefits of living simply much sooner.
At this point you might expect me to say I’ve escaped the zoo and to tell you how you can escape the zoo, too. Sorry, that’s not me. The world needs you to keep your payroll admin job, or tech support job, or healthcare professional job. All work is noble. But by simplifying your life and taking on just enough and no more, you can free up time, money, and energy that will give you back the control in your life.
Why a Sparrow?
I was quite young when I discovered Howard Nemerov’s poem, “The Sparrow in the Zoo.” It was short and tweet and because it resonated with me, I immediately memorized it. Take a minute to listen to the poet recite the poem.
The Sparrow in the Zoo
by Howard Nemerov
No bars are set too close, no mesh too fine
To keep me from the eagle and the lion,
Whom keepers feed that I may freely dine.
This goes to show that if you have the wit
To be small, common, cute, and live on shit,
Though the cage fret kings, you may make free with it.
For years I thought the poem was telling me that if I lived a frugal, humble life, I could live outside the zoo. So I did that, and eventually lived on four continents. Fun? Yes. Character building? Of course. But after several years of winging it (see what I did there), I wanted familiarity and stability. I’d flown too far.
Why Not a Lion?
Eventually, I realized that the poem was about a sparrow inside the zoo with all the other animals. But because there were so many sparrows (common, as the poem says), no one felt the need to keep them on display. Sparrows could come and go as they pleased, they could live in the zoo, or not. The choice was there’s.
There are way more sparrows in the zoo than any other (non-human) animal. There’s no sign pointing them out. There’s no special habitat. There’s no super specific sparrow food. People hardly notice them. And yet, there they are, thriving. Wow!
We’re sparrows, people. Not lions, sparrows!
If we are in the zoo, it is our choice and we can leave if and when we want to.
The Wolf at the Door
Recently, I was at Lincoln Park Zoo. One area of the zoo was marked off with signs apologizing for the mess, explaining that a rare colony of Black-crowned Night Herons nests in the tree canopy over the zoo’s red wolf habitat every summer. They’re big. They’re loud. They shit on everything. These normally shy birds migrate at night and had moved to the city because the lagoons and parks here replicated the rapidly diminishing Illinois wetlands the birds historically lived in.
Cue the metaphors!
Technically, the herons are as free as the sparrows, but because their needs are greater and very specific, they have fewer and fewer options. The wolf is literally at their door. Sound like anyone you know?
Small, Common, Cute is a Good Thing
In contrast, the house sparrow (with the lovely family name, Passeridae) can be found in most parts of the world. They prefer to live near houses, but they aren’t picky about the architecture. A high rise, bungalow, or a zoo’s reptile house will do just fine. And they aren’t picky eaters. Sparrows eat grains, fruits, seeds, and other foods that can be found wherever we humans live.
There were a lot of sparrows in the zoo that day. Eating spilled popcorn. Flitting about the lion pen. Pecking at the rhinoceros’ food. Chirping on the fence. By being adaptable and keeping their needs basic, sparrows flourished and remained free.
I think I’ve found my spirit animal.
Live Simply & Free 
I was a year into my life simplification when I saw those sparrows and herons at the zoo. People around me are eyeing the future and wondering how to transition to something simpler. As someone who has made the downshift, I think I can help.
You can find tons of information out there about frugality, minimalism and retirement, but not much information about how you actually make that transition from a fast-paced zoo of a life. We all know people who lost a job or retired without a plan and the shock overwhelms them. I’ve been there, peeps.
Re-prioritizing how I spent my money and time gave me the latitude to make decisions at my own pace. I know where I want to go now, and I’m halfway there. Where are you? Where do you want to go?
Eager to explore your blog!
Welcome, Michael.