Back to Basics: Lessons From a Little House on the Prairie

As a young girl I loved the Little House book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, which chronicled her life growing up in the 1860s. I read the books innumerable times and when the television series came out, I was glued to it. (I also had a huge crush on Michael Landon, but that is only slightly beside the point.)

I had the pleasure of revisiting those books with my daughter when she was young. It’s an interesting experience to return to something you knew so well as a child and see it through adult eyes. I found myself admiring the Ingalls (Those people knew things! They could make soap! Gut a bear! Build a house!) and also feeling an internal emptiness for the collective skills and values we have lost.

But the ethos of Little House is still relevant, perhaps now more than ever. I think we need it…desperately. In the iconic words and drawl of Matthew McConaughey, “Sometimes you have to go back to go forward.” Yes indeed.

Here are some of the lessons from life on the prairie that could help carry us forward.

 1.  There is no great loss without some small gain. 

This is not Pollyanna-ism, it’s just a fact. This is about embracing natural law and seeing things in a balanced perspective. It’s also about focusing on the lessonand the possibility. Nothing is purely black or purely white.

 2.  Be indebted to no one. 

Pa was big on this one, and he was a wise man. (And gorgeous to boot. I was in love with him.) Being in debt is ubiquitous; it is also a state of imbalance. Debt creates anxiety and stress. It is living beyond one’s means, which is living a lie. To be free of debt is to maintain integrity and balance and to be happier people.

 3.  Share. 

Sharing is an act of love, kindness, compassion, empathy and generosity. This is true whether we are sharing our feelings, our possessions, or our time. Sharing connects us to others, to our souls, and to Spirit. It’s a three-fer.

 4.  A simple life is a good life. 

It is a true challenge to live simply in this day and age. We live in a world of distraction and delusion. Constant contact is unnerving us all. It bears repeating that money does not make us happy, nor does busyness make us worthy or important. Simplicity is a virtue because it keeps our center where it belongs: in our hearts.

 5.  Be self-sufficient but remember that we all need and depend on one another.  

It’s important to be able to take care of yourself and be connected to your own strength and wisdom. It’s also important to know when to ask for help and to receive it freely and with gratitude.

 6.  Be willing to start over. 

The Ingalls family started over again and again as they moved west, and it was challenging. Life is a constant cycle of birth, death and re-birth — of letting go. Resisting this cycle only causes suffering. And while letting go is difficult, new beginnings and new possibilities depend on them.

KATE INGRAM, MA, CSBC, is a counselor, certified coach, and award-winning author of Washing the Bones, Grief Girl’s Guide, and The Grab & Go Grief Kit, all available at Rebel Heart Books and at Amazon. Find out more at kintsugicoaching.com or write kate@kintsugicoaching.com