For much of my life, I struggled to create simplicity. In recent years, I’ve not only embraced it, I thrive on it. I credit this to two things: First, as the world around me has grown more complex and beyond my control, I’ve craved simplicity more than ever. Second, I’ve come to see simplicity as a key solution to the environmental crisis. We need to slow down and return to simpler ways, even if they take more time.

A clothesline represents this shift for me. I once saw hanging laundry as a hassle, something I didn’t have time for. But I now realize that was just an excuse. Today, I find joy in it. Clotheslines tell a story…. a family, a community, a culture. They reveal what industries shape a town, what people value, and how they spend their time.