Whether observing a spear of summer grass, listening to the wind moving through the trees, watching children laugh and play, or simply feeling the warmth of the sun as it shines down on us, taking time to simply be, to watch and experience with no other agenda than to loafe, is fodder for the sublime. The tactile and the transcendent can be one and the same.… Continue reading
“Many people believe simplicity implies doing without. On the contrary, True simplicity as a conscious life choice illuminates our lives from within. True simplicity is both buoyant and bountiful, able to liberate depressed spirits from the bondage and burden of extravagance and excess. True simplicity can elevate ordinary moments…from the mundane to the transcendent.”
–Sarah Ban Breathnach
It’s easy to get caught up in the messages of our broader society: to hear the call that says we need to update our house, to keep our wardrobe current, to drive a new car, or carry the latest electronic gadgets.… Continue reading
There’s nothing inherently difficult about being mindful or in making conscious decisions about how we interact with the people, things, and world around us, but it’s so easy to get caught up in the planning ahead or the worrying or the dreaming or whatever else may occupy our minds (or we get stuck in one of the scripts we follow in our heads) that we forget to simply be present now and to focus on who or what is right in front of us.… Continue reading
“Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” — Berthold Auerbach
Music has a way of helping us to express things that are difficult to put into words or thoughts. It can carry with it notions of beauty and grandeur as well as heart ache and sadness. Music can change the direction of the thoughts flowing through your mind or the mood of an entire room.… Continue reading
“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to’.” — Lao Tzu
That is, if something is truly important to you, you will make time for it. And if you’re not willing to make the time for it, is it really as important as you say?
Consider this when you’re pondering whether to commit larger things, such as time spent with friends and family.… Continue reading
“Teach us delight in simple things.” — Rudyard Kipling
There are abundant reasons to celebrate and delight in our everyday lives, if only we have the eyes to see them.
Today, take a moment to appreciate the simple pleasures that surround you: the hopping of a bird as it searches for a bug, the coziness of a warm sweater, the crunch of a fresh carrot stick, the smell of freshly ground coffee, or the sound of the rain as it dances on your roof.… Continue reading
With the arrival of fall, we now have many of the windows in our house open in the afternoons. Instead of keeping them shut against summer’s afternoon heat or the soon-coming cold of winter, we have them open to welcome in the fresh air and the crisp fall breeze.
I have wind chimes hanging inside my kitchen window. Hanging wind chimes inside may seem odd to you, but we get some pretty fierce winds racing through our canyon, so outside wind chimes can sometimes sound frantic and wild (in addition to the fact that, as a light sleeper, their nighttime chiming can wake me up).… Continue reading
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” — Melody Beattie
At a first glance, adding another practice to your life may not seem like a way to simplify.… Continue reading
Thoughts can be helpful and insightful, they can be disturbing and upsetting, they can be uplifting and magical, or they can simply be background noise. Isn’t it nice to know that we can dismiss thoughts that aren’t sympathetic with the path we want to travel?
What’s running through your head today?
“Don’t believe everything you think. Thoughts are just that – thoughts.”… Continue reading
Indeed, the beauty of nature is a feast for our souls. Have you looked at the sky today?
“The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson… Continue reading