In our current age of technology, self-will, and instant gratification, it’s difficult to wrap our heads around the idea of a simplistic lifestyle. New Yorkers especially, are known for their jet paced lives. Even if you were to ask a contemporary resident of Oshkosh, Wisconsin what brings joy and meaning to their days, it’s highly doubtful that they would respond with: “furrowing fields”, “repairing the henhouse”, “reaping hay”, “laundering garments” or “gathering eggs”. Yet these activities translated to spiritual enlightenment for the Shakers, an 18th century group of men and women who lived communally in Colonial America.