"Yay, yay!"

[Synapse to synapse]

Heya! Sorry for the perhaps strange title, but it's been an inside joke of mine and my friends. We use "Yay, yay!" as a semi-formal greeting, from the song "Pushin' Weight" by Ice Cube.

Now that that's cleared up, my actual formal introduction.

My name is Ryan, I'm 23 years of age, and live in Wisconsin. I went to College for Communications/Media Studies, hoping to become a Sports Journalist, as I was (and to a much lesser extent now) a fan of the NFL, NCAA College Football, and the NBA. I grew up watching these with my father, and my earliest memories are actually watching Football games with my dad. I played them throughout school, and still do today, but only in recreational leagues. I still have a good time, though.

I still enjoy watching them, but understand that they are simply a form of entertainment, akin to television shows, movies, or video games. I do not have a vested interest in any one team, do not yell and scream if a certain team loses, and really, as said, just enjoy watching the game be played at high levels. I became disenchanted recently, with the whole replacement referee outcry, and how people were up in arms, swearing, cussing, and being just plain "strange" all about a simple game, that 9 times out of 10 does not directly impact their life (save for an actual Player, Coach, or Staff member of the team or league, or if one has an immediate family member who is a player, coach, or otherwise a member of the league).

Sorry for that tangent...I usually don't go on such long-winded posts.

As for what I enjoy doing now. I have been using Photoshop for years, and I love image manipulation, playing around in it, making backgrounds, picture signatures, avatars, banners, for friends and a few I have submitted to various other sites I visit. I like reading a lot, my favorite author is Kurt Vonnegut, and while I love all his books (that I've read), my favorites would be "Player Piano" and "Hocus Pocus". I also am really interested in Eastern Religion/Philsophy (which is actually what got me interested in Simple Living and Miniamalism), most recently Taoism. I have a pocket copy of the Tao that I carry around, and read when I'm struggling. I've also really enjoyed the Dhammapada, and find Jainism and the precept of Anekantavada (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anekantavada) to be interesting. It's difficult attempting to emulate many of these things, but nobody is perfect, and I make a commitment each day to my beliefs, and try as hard as I can to live up to my values. I'm not always so successful. But, as Vonnegut says "So it goes."

I think I may have vastly overdone this introduction, and I hope that my walls of text don't deter you from reading. I look forward to posting, meeting you all, and joining this fine community.

Thank you for your time. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!

[SteveinMN]

nobody is perfect, and I make a commitment each day to my beliefs, and try as hard as I can to live up to my values. I'm not always so successful. But, as Vonnegut says "So it goes."

I think I may have vastly overdone this introduction, and I hope that my walls of text don't deter you from reading. I look forward to posting, meeting you all, and joining this fine community.

Yay, yay, Ryan!

I am no stranger to walls of text, so I don't mind reading them. Blather is one thing; telling the story is another, so I have no problem with a long message if it's informative (yours is). I am no stranger to imperfection, either, and you will find here people at all stages of simple living. We have some real masters here and some folks who are new but trying hard and learning as we go along. This forum is really tolerant of that as well as of the occasional "Ooh! Shiny!", so you are welcome and I hope you will share your insight with us often.

[Synapse to synapse]

Yay, yay, Ryan!

I am no stranger to walls of text, so I don't mind reading them. Blather is one thing; telling the story is another, so I have no problem with a long message if it's informative (yours is). I am no stranger to imperfection, either, and you will find here people at all stages of simple living. We have some real masters here and some folks who are new but trying hard and learning as we go along. This forum is really tolerant of that as well as of the occasional "Ooh! Shiny!", so you are welcome and I hope you will share your insight with us often.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

I had forgotten one thing. While I've read "through the grapevines" so to speak about Simple Living in different books, articles, etc, however could you (or any other member) recommend some books on Simple Living? A friend once gave me a book on how to reduce what you use, reuse what you can, and recycle when you can, something along those lines. I remember a few quotes from it, but I lost the book.

There was:

'Reduce What I waste.
Every time I'm about to buy something, I'll ask myself, "Do I really need this?" and if so, "Do I really need this much of it?" I know that waste isn't just about what I throw out; it's also about not taking too much in the first place, Next time, I'll think before I buy.'

'Recycle what I can.
I will become more mindful of everything I throw away each day. Before I trash something, I'll ask myself, "Can I recycle this?" Recycling isn't just about saving landfill space; it also reduces greenhouse gases and conserves natural resources. I will help to do this.'

and the last one I had saved:

Repair, reuse, or donate what I can.
If something breaks like my iPod, I'll try to have it repaired before I buy a new one. I'll save items like take-out containers and reuse them. And if I can't use something anymore, I'll donate it to a place that can.

So, yeah, what are some suggested reads? I googled around a bit, and I found what seems to be a promising listing of books:
http://www.amazon.com/Books-on-Simpl...R2JYU6DXZFXT47

Again, thanks for the warm welcome! Means a lot.

[Weston]

Thanks for the warm welcome!


So, yeah, what are some suggested reads? I googled around a bit, and I found what seems to be a promising listing of books:
http://www.amazon.com/Books-on-Simpl...R2JYU6DXZFXT47

Again, thanks for the warm welcome! Means a lot.

For me it all begins and ends with Your Money or Your Life. Possibly the most influential book I've ever read. I could also recommend many of the other books on that list. Many of them are excellent, but to me they are just "icing on the cake" of YMOYL.

[Tussiemussies]

Hi Synapse,

Nice to have you on board here and am looking forward to chatting about simple living with you.

[Selah]

Welcome, Synapse to synapse...and, yay yay!

I, too, wholeheartedly recommend "Your Money or Your Life," by Joe Dominguez and Vicky Robin. Although the book is not religious in any way, many of the practices and principles it advocates are in keeping with Eastern Buddhist and Taoist philosophies of simplicity, mindfulness, awareness, and emotional detachment from physical and ego-based "stuff."

[Synapse to synapse]

Thanks again for the welcomes! And the suggestion on YMOYL. I'll certainly check that out.

[fidgiegirl]

+1 to YMOYL!

Welcome aboard! Glad to see you diving right in.

[catherine]

That is a great list you have pulled from Amazon. In addition to YMOL, I would definitely read Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin (it's a classic), and Radical Simplicity by Jim Merkel. Also Walden by Thoreau (duh), and The Good Life by Helen and Scott Nearing.

There is a book called Minimalism which is more current--it's written by a couple of young guys (Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus) so you might identify with them. There are a lot of blogs that are about minimalism--in fact "Miss Minimalist" used to post here quite frequently. Leo Babauta, author of Zen Habits, also has a blog on minimalism.

David Wann has written some good basic books on simple living. One of them is called Simple Prosperity.

As for the spiritual aspects of simple living, I really like Thich Nhat Hahn (Miracle of Mindfulness, Peace is Every Step, You are Here). His books are not on simple living per se, but on Mindfulness, and I think mindfulness lies at the heart of spiritual simplicity. You may know of him, as it appears you've done a lot of reading by Eastern spiritual leaders. Quakers are good folk to learn simple living from: read Richard Foster (The Freedom of Simplicity) and google Richard Gregg.

A couple of books about people who live simple lives: Twelve by Twelve by William Powers and The Man Who Quit Money by Mark Sundeen.

Those are some of my favorites and I'm sure I'll think of more!

Thanks for introducing yourself. And as long as you're not loyal to any one football team, not sure if you watch college football, but could you root for Rutgers while you're at it?

[Synapse to synapse]

Thanks for introducing yourself. And as long as you're not loyal to any one football team, not sure if you watch college football, but could you root for Rutgers while you're at it?

I've actually found myself watching all of the BYU games lately. But sure. If I catch a glimpse of a Rutgers game, I'll root for them. They did after all, produce Brian Leonard (and his leap)!