Browsing category: Voluntary Simplicity & Simple Living

Have We Forgotten There is Value in Stillness… and Silence?

Are you tired of the noise? Not just the noise that surrounds us at work or out in the world… the machines, the sounds of construction… the airplanes, the sirens, the cars and the trucks… the clangs and the crashes and the horns…

A Simplicity Anyone Can Live With

I love the concept of voluntary simplicity… consciously sorting out those things in my life that are important to me and my family… intentionally eliminating or minimizing those things that cause us stress…

Some Thoughts About Voluntary Simplicity

Voluntary simplicity is a philosophy. Often called compassionate living, it is a conscious choice to simplify your life and a deliberate downshifting to create the life and home environment that fit you and your family.

Why Would Anyone Deliberately Choose a Simple Life?

First let me say that I agree… I wouldn’t be happy living a life of purging, scrimping, and deprivation either… but that’s purging, scrimping, and deprivation, NOT simple living. Done right, simple living should be a positive experience, not a negative one…

Keeping a Photograph… Purging the Item

Reader question… “I read in a book about decluttering and purging that a photograph of an item is a good substitute for actually having the item in your possession.”

Seeing The Beauty That Is Already There

We are fortunate to live in an area of New England that is beautiful almost every month of the year. It would be difficult not to appreciate the green lushness of summer, or fall’s vivid leaves and bright blue skies… even the pure white of the winter snows…

It’s The Simple Things That Count

I spent more than three months one year in an enforced almost immobile position because of complications from a back injury.

Some Thoughts About Staying Motivated

“I was wondering if you could share some advice. How can I stay motivated when I have a lot to do or a large project ahead of me? You seem to accomplish so much. I always have lists of things that need to be done but I keep putting them off.”

Sometimes It Takes a Closer Look

These violets are almost hidden in the tall grass of our meadow… it would be so easy to walk past and see them only as patches of color.It takes a closer look to really appreciate the spectacular markings and the simple beauty of this tiny flower.

But I Think an Intangible Something Has Been Lost

When I was a very young child, my parents “sugared” every spring. We spent many long hours wading through the deep snow to gather the sap, and even more long hours huddled around the fire waiting while the sap boiled. It was a lot of work…