Is It So Small a Thing?
Is it so small a thing
To have enjoy’d the sun,
To have lived light in the spring,
To have loved, to have thought, to have done…
–Matthew Arnold
Written by Shirley | Filed Under Inspirational Life Quotes
Choosing Voluntary Simplicity
About finding balance in your life, connecting with who you are, and creating a lifestyle where you wake up each morning eagerly anticipating the day ahead.
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Welcome to
Choosing Voluntary Simplicity!
About this blog (and about me)
Recent Posts
- Cobweb Houseleek (Sempervivum arachnoideum)
- Ford China Co. Antique Pitcher & Bowl
- Only Two Ways To Live Your Life
- Solving the Natural Peanut Butter Oil Separation Problem
- All-Over Basket Weave Knit Afghan
- Keeping Photographs, Purging the Item
- How Much Does It Cost to Feed YOUR Family?
Voluntary Simplicity
- Why We Chose Voluntary Simplicity — Sometimes There Is No Tomorrow
- What is the Difference Between
Simple Living & Voluntary Simplicity? - What Voluntary Simplicity Is NOT
- Thoughts About Voluntary Simplicity
- Downshifting To A Simpler Life
- No One Way To Do Simple Living Right
- A Sense of Balance
- Learning To Slow Down
- Accepting Responsibility For Your Actions
- The Myth of Quality Time
- The Paralysis of Too Much Analysis
- Our Journey to a Debt Free Life
- Decluttering and Purging
- How To Stop Procrastinating
- Organizing, Decluttering & Purging
- I Think It Would Be the Noise
- Leaving Your Comfort Zone
- How Can I Stay Motivated?
- How You Choose To Spend Your Time
- Discovering Your "Enough"
- Less "Stuff" Doesn't Equal Happiness Either
- How To Be Happy In An Unhappy World
- A Simplicity Anyone Can Live With
- Practicing the Golden Rule
- A Closer Look
- Making the Most of Those Lifestyle Challenges
- Valuing the Ordinary
- 9 Simple Things We Do To Protect Our Environment
- Seeing the Sunshine and a Happier You
- A Challenge That Can Change Your Life
- Accomplishing What Needs To Be Done... Efficiently, Quickly, and With As Little Stress As Possible
- An Intangible Something Has Been Lost
Living a Simple Lifestyle
- My Wood-Burning Cook Stove
- Cooking & Baking with a Wood Stove
- Our Simpler Country Lifestyle
- Achieving a Simpler Life — Step 1: Track Your Spending
- Yes You CAN Learn To Do It Yourself
- The Biggest Obstacle to a Simpler, Truly Fulfilling Life
- 7 Grocery Shopping Strategies That Work For Me
- A Truckload of Logs — Our Winter Firewood Supply
- The Final Cut & Summer Memories
- Not Compromising Our Scruples
- The Reality of Dial-Up Over a Phone Line That Has Been Left to Deterioriate for 36 Years
- An Exercise in Perseverance
- A Downside to Our Rural Life
- Yesterday Was Not a Good Mail Day
- Elderly Vehicles, Emergency Funds, & a Panic-Free Crisis
- Our Hand Dug Backyard Pond
- We Should Have Wondered Where All Those Rocks Came From!
- Our Garden Paths
- This Is Our Stone Path
- How We Make Compost
- Nature's Free Mulch — How We Make Leaf Mold
- There's a Bear in Our Bird Feeder
Sensible Frugality
- Being Sensible About Frugality
- Does Frugality Mean You Shouldn't Have Nice Things?
- What True Frugality Is... and Is Not
- Credit Cards Aren't The Enemy
- Don't Confuse Playing at Frugality with Living Frugally
- Getting Out Of Debt: Why You Buy
- Energy Conservation & Convenience
- Some Thoughts About Grocery Shopping & Sensible Frugality
- Are Buyer's Clubs A Frugal Choice?
- Homemade Laundry Detergent?
- Trying to Keep Heating Costs Down This Winter
- If It Still Works, Why Do I Need a New One?
- Somewhat More Intimidating Than the Usual Do-It-Yourself Project
- Why I Don't Play the Coupon Game
- Removing An Enormous Tree Stump
My Simple Life
- Life is Getting Back to Normal
- It Was a Very Long Night
- 14 Things Unique To Me
- Fall, Grapevines & Weaving Baskets
- A Little Too Close For Comfort
- My Husband's Solution To My Creative Chaos
- I'm So Glad Today Is Friday
- When You Give the Gift of a Smile
- The Mystery Of Duck Duck Goose
- Our Uninvited Midnight Visitor
- Too Many Crackers Too Late At Night
- The Pig in Our Garden
- Lost On The Schoolbus
- My Brush With Politics
- When I Woke Up This Morning...
- And That's a Warning We Take Very Seriously!
- Something Else My Father Taught Me
- It's The Simple Things That Count
- Appreciating the "Now" of My Life
Want To Read More?
Check out the hundreds of other articles in the Choosing Voluntary Simplicity article archives.
Comments
Comment by Joe:
Beautiful! (quote AND picture)
Comment by Janys:
I’m a big fan of Matthew Arnold but don’t see too much of his work around so I was glad to find you had used one of his quotes. I think this one is especially meaningful. Thank you for sharing your life and thoughts with all of us.
Please leave a comment!