View Full Version : Simple Living Quote of the Day
We'll see how long this lasts, but one of my favorite books is an anthology of simple living quotes called Less is More, edited by Goldian Vandenbroeck. I'm going to try to post a simple living quote of the day by simply opening up the book at random and posting whatever I land on. Goal: Just a little inspiration. Comments and reflections on each are welcome.
So here is the first one I landed on--appropriate in its brevity for a simple living quote:
Travel light!
--Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850-1894.
happystuff
3-7-22, 12:16pm
I just did this! Knew there would be a washer/dryer available so I packed really light. Getting ready to come home and realized I only used about 2/3 of the clothing I packed. Next trip will be even lighter!
Apt and succinct. I strive for that.
That is an admirable aspiration, but I lean more towards "Bring everything you own with you in case you need it."
Catherine: I do like the idea though, and thanks for posting!
...but I lean more towards "Bring everything you own with you in case you need it."
This describes the contents of my everyday backpack. :~)
I'll never be an ultralight packer for travel (I carry all the what if stuff), but I am trying to move through life a little lighter metaphorically. Trying to reduce the burden of carrying expectations and judgements. Trying to see life through other eyes. Not always successful of course, but that's the aim.
ToomuchStuff
3-7-22, 3:26pm
That is an admirable aspiration, but I lean more towards "Bring everything you own with you in case you need it."
Language, NSFW
https://youtu.be/MvgN5gCuLac
"We are lovers of the beautiful, yet simple in our tastes...Wealth we employ, not for talk or ostentation, but when there is a real use for it." Thucydides, 471?-400? BC
"We are lovers of the beautiful, yet simple in our tastes...Wealth we employ, not for talk or ostentation, but when there is a real use for it." Thucydides, 471?-400? BC
This was our football cheer at U of C:
Themistocles, Thucydides
The Peloponnesian War
X-squared, y-squared
H2SO4
Who for? What for?
Who we gonna yell for?
Go Maroons!
"We are lovers of the beautiful, yet simple in our tastes...Wealth we employ, not for talk or ostentation, but when there is a real use for it." Thucydides, 471?-400? BC
With wisdom such as this from well over 2000 years ago, mankind is still struggling to understand the meaning. Mostly mankind today just spends to impress others.
Language, NSFW
https://youtu.be/MvgN5gCuLac
One of my favorites!
“Money is something you trade your life energy for. You sell your time for money. It doesn’t matter that Ned over there sells his time for a hundred dollars and you sell yours for twenty dollars an hour. Ned’s money is irrelevant to you. The only real asset you have is your time. The hours of your life.”
― Vicki Robin, Your Money or Your Life
BTW, TooMuchStuff, that's one of my favorite George Carlin's skit! Thanks for posting, it's always good for a refresher.
Tybee.. that's funny about your college chant!
Voluntary simplicity involves both inner and outer condition. It means singleness of purpose, sincerity and honesty within, as well as avoidance of exterior clutter, of many possessions irrelevant to the chief purpose of life. It means an ordering and guiding of our energy and our desires, a partial restraint in some directions in order to secure greater abundance of life in other directions. It involves a deliberate organization of life for a purpose. . . .
Observance of simplicity is a recognition of the fact that everyone is greatly influenced by his surroundings and all their subtle implications. The power of environment modifies all living organisms. Therefore each person will be wise to select and create deliberately such an immediate environment of home things as will influence his character in the direction which he deems most important and such as will make it easier for him to live in the way that he believes wisest. Simplicity gives him a certain kind of freedom and clearness of vision. –Richard Gregg, 1885-1974
rosarugosa
3-11-22, 4:02pm
“Money is something you trade your life energy for. You sell your time for money. It doesn’t matter that Ned over there sells his time for a hundred dollars and you sell yours for twenty dollars an hour. Ned’s money is irrelevant to you. The only real asset you have is your time. The hours of your life.”
― Vicki Robin, Your Money or Your Life
I think this quote is meaningful to many of us here on the SLF. I always felt like the saying "time equals money" was backwards. DH recently decided that he's going to give up his shift at the hospital because all one really has is time, and we're at the stage of life where we are acutely aware of how finite our time really is. He wants to spend more of his remaining time on the planet doing the things he wants to do. He's going to stay on per diem status, so he can work a shift here and there but not be committed every day.
rosarugosa
3-11-22, 4:25pm
Voluntary simplicity involves both inner and outer condition. It means singleness of purpose, sincerity and honesty within, as well as avoidance of exterior clutter, of many possessions irrelevant to the chief purpose of life. It means an ordering and guiding of our energy and our desires, a partial restraint in some directions in order to secure greater abundance of life in other directions. It involves a deliberate organization of life for a purpose. . . .
Observance of simplicity is a recognition of the fact that everyone is greatly influenced by his surroundings and all their subtle implications. The power of environment modifies all living organisms. Therefore each person will be wise to select and create deliberately such an immediate environment of home things as will influence his character in the direction which he deems most important and such as will make it easier for him to live in the way that he believes wisest. Simplicity gives him a certain kind of freedom and clearness of vision. –Richard Gregg, 1885-1974
Wow, there is a lot of food for thought here. I think he's saying that simplicity isn't just about the things we do or don't have, but also about how we spend our time and life's energy, and the two should be in alignment. So - and I admit I might be reaching here - it's fine or me to have a bunch of vases since I like them and use them and usually have flowers in the house. But give my vase collection to UL or even Terry, and it's a bunch of unwanted clutter.
It also reminds me of a quote I've heard (maybe JD Roth, not sure) about how we can have almost anything we want but we can't have everything we want, so it's critical to know what's most important to us so we can use our energies/resources appropriately.
Really like R Gregg's wisdom. It is the little things that are really hard to decide because they can take up so much time and space. The battle between having it all and having a restricted personal focus of one's choice is quite a mental struggle.
catherine
3-11-22, 10:44pm
“I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail."—Henry David Thoreau
Actually, I didn’t realize it when I chose this quote but it ties in with your comments; Rosa and razz.
flowerseverywhere
3-12-22, 4:26am
I love all these quotes. And that George Carlin routine is classic.
In this time of huge container ships full of stuff, Amazon instant click ordering, mounds of garbage piled outside homes on garbage day, and water wars looming, I am reminded of a basic quote, maybe from your money or your life.
Live simply so others may simply live.
catherine
3-12-22, 10:01am
"He who knows he has enough is rich." --Tao Te Ching
A group of 7 of us have started to slowly read and share our insights on "Essential Spirituality, the Seven Central Practices" by Roger Walsh. Quote #6 would be perfect for the section on "craving".
"He who knows he has enough is rich." --Tao Te Ching
Wes Moss, whom I like very much, has what he calls "the rich ratio" which is income divided by expenses. He says to be rich, it must exceed 1, no matter how much money you have. So he gives an example like someone who has income of 3000 dollars a month and expenses of 2000 and meets the rich ratio. And another person who has income of 10,000 a month but expenses of 12,000. That person, while having a much higher income, is not rich.
ETA: And that is not even getting into the part about "who knows he has enough" and what that might mean.
catherine
3-13-22, 10:10pm
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”[/SIZE]
― William Morris
rosarugosa
3-14-22, 5:48am
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”[/SIZE]
― William Morris
That is always an aspirational goal for me in our little cottage. Unfortunately, it can be a little bit ambiguous at times, and some items may outlive their usefulness.
This quote isn't strictly a simple living quote, but at the same time, it is.. the idea is "lighten up"--which certainly can be thought of as a simple living theme. "Lighten up"--whether it's lighten your possessions, your debt, or your attitude, it's all the same. It's about reducing the complexities that wear us down; lightening the load so we can enjoy life. Anyway, here's the quote:
"Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun." --Alan Watts
happystuff
3-18-22, 9:08pm
Catherine, no more quotes? I was looking forward to them.
Catherine, no more quotes? I was looking forward to them.
Oh, so nice to hear! I was on a report deadline the past two days. I'll get back on the stick tomorrow!
happystuff
3-18-22, 9:31pm
Oh, so nice to hear! I was on a report deadline the past two days. I'll get back on the stick tomorrow!
Totally understandable. Hope all went well with work.
(This one's for you, happystuff :)
“The most important quality to have toward your day is gratitude for what you have experienced, even for what was hard and what allowed you to learn and grow.” ― Dalai Lama XIV, The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World
happystuff
3-19-22, 10:03am
(This one's for you, happystuff :)
“The most important quality to have toward your day is gratitude for what you have experienced, even for what was hard and what allowed you to learn and grow.” [/FONT]― Dalai Lama XIV, The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World
Thank you!! :)
rosarugosa
3-19-22, 10:13am
That one rings true for me, Catherine. It was DH's kidney cancer in 2012 that finally got us to quit smoking and to learn how much we loved walking, which also prompted us to discover some local treasure walking destinations. I could never go so far as to say that I was grateful he got kidney cancer, but I am grateful that we were able to make some really wonderful things come from that one awful thing.
PS: He had his annual checkup this week and everything was good!
That one rings true for me, Catherine. It was DH's kidney cancer in 2012 that finally got us to quit smoking and to learn how much we loved walking, which also prompted us to discover some local treasure walking destinations. I could never go so far as to say that I was grateful he got kidney cancer, but I am grateful that we were able to make some really wonderful things come from that one awful thing.
PS: He had his annual checkup this week and everything was good!
So glad to hear about your DH, rosa!
"Debt is the slavery of the free."--Publilius Syrus
iris lilies
3-20-22, 8:09am
"Debt is the slavery of the free."--Publilius Syrus
This one resonates with me. It has a corollary “Interest is The Enemy”—Iris Lilies
“What an income is thrift!”
- Marcus Tullius Cicero
“What an income is thrift!”
- Marcus Tullius Cicero
Good one, LDAHL.
"You catch grace as a man fills his cup under a waterfall." --Annie Dillard
This one resonates with me. It has a corollary “Interest is The Enemy”—Iris Lilies
Unless one is the recipient of it. Although for the past number of years it’s been so low that that isn’t really the case.
"Always bear this in mind, that very little indeed is necessary for living a happy life." --Marcus Aurelius, 121-180 AD
happystuff
3-22-22, 9:15am
I like this one, catherine. So true.
I keep recognizing the truth of this more and more.
Quote #11 took a little more thought. I finally realized it as 'life being showered with abundant blessings'.
“To ensure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life.” -William Londen
(Note: I can't find anything about this "William Londen" but this quote is widely attributed to him.)
happystuff
3-23-22, 9:49am
Eat lightly is a current trouble area I need to work on. ;)
iris lilies
3-23-22, 2:43pm
I'll never be an ultralight packer for travel (I carry all the what if stuff), but I am trying to move through life a little lighter metaphorically. Trying to reduce the burden of carrying expectations and judgements. Trying to see life through other eyes. Not always successful of course, but that's the aim.
yes, If I was a little less judgmental I would probably be better for it!
There’s a recent incident that really bugs me but then I ask myself a question that has an obvious answer and I keep reminding myself of that answer and the question is “really when it comes right down to it what business is that of yours? How does that harm you?
It doesn’t.
Certainly we have to be concerned and take a stand when actions harm the fabric of society, but this isn’t one of those.
"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone."
- Henry David Thoreau
"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone."
- Henry David Thoreau
I have never really understood this one. It seems to say that non-engagement with life is the path to "being rich" and I understand he is talking about richness of spirit, but it does not make sense to me. Maybe I am too literal. Like this morning we were walking around the yard looking at the lilac roots that we stuck in the ground in November to form a little hedge and they are starting to bud even though we just made slits in the frozen ground and put them in their at an angle. I can't look at all those lilac shoots in the front of the yard without wanting to use them somewhere else. So I can't let them alone.
I have never really understood this one. It seems to say that non-engagement with life is the path to "being rich" and I understand he is talking about richness of spirit, but it does not make sense to me. Maybe I am too literal. Like this morning we were walking around the yard looking at the lilac roots that we stuck in the ground in November to form a little hedge and they are starting to bud even though we just made slits in the frozen ground and put them in their at an angle. I can't look at all those lilac shoots in the front of the yard without wanting to use them somewhere else. So I can't let them alone.
I think it has to do more with "needs" vs "wants" It's my "white sweater" analogy. http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?17719-What-don-t-you-need&highlight=white+sweater
So you are "rich" if you perceive that you don't have cravings for things that are really just "wants" (craving=you can't let a desire alone). That's the way I see it.
Thanks, that explanation helps. Sometimes knowing the context in which the quote developed clarifies it.
happystuff
3-25-22, 10:07am
Not sure I like this one. Maybe if it read something like "A man is rich in the appreciation of the number of things which he has instead of all he is simply able to afford."
I guess the original quote - to me - reads as a negative trying to be a positive, instead of a positive from the start.
catherine
3-25-22, 10:23am
Well, Thoreau isn't always an easy read. He does has interesting ways of expressing concepts. But I love him, so I had to include him. happystuff, your rewrite is much more literal for sure, but sometimes I like the poetic. Kind of goes along with the earlier Annie Dillard quote about filling your cup under a waterfall.
happystuff
3-25-22, 7:27pm
I didn't find him to be a difficult read. I just didn't always like his take on some things and how he presented some other things. No specific examples, just these were my thoughts while reading him.
"Your words manifest your world. Use your best words to create your best world. And when you don’t have good words, choose the simplicity of silence." ~ Roxana Jones
Personal note for this quote: I just came home from an entire weekend of birthday celebration with family and friends. It was really, really awesome! Jim outfitted the place in vases of yellow tulips. So we gave away bunches of them, and then I wrapped up several in we5 paper towel and foil to transport them home. I was too tired last night to put them back in water, so when I woke up some of the heads were droopy.
I was thinking that that's how I operate, as an introvert. I started out on Friday with enough "water" in my vessel to keep me going in a very highly social environment for 72 hours straight. Last night my water had run dry, and I definitely felt like those droopy tulips.
Today, I'm expecting the "waters of silence and solitude" will perk me back up again. That's why I picked this "simplicity of silence" quote.
All in all, it was a fantastic weekend and it was so uplifting to have so many people I love around me.
I too just spent a long-awaited visit from siblings. It was non-stop cooking and talking until way past my bedtime. I am relishing the quiet today after their departure.
"I am proposing a concentrated effort to simplify our lives, to pare down, to search for sufficiency, to take delight in what we have--in the small, the accessible, the beautiful, and the holy." --John Lane, Timeless Simplicity: Creative Living in a Consumer Society
NOTE: I just happened upon this book--A book about simple living I actually haven't read yet! Then I noticed it was published by my favorite publishing house, Chelsea Green.
happystuff
3-30-22, 10:31am
I like that.... "search for sufficiency".
"Creativity, or at least creative action, is another important consideration for building a simpler life. It is no mere luxury, but an indispensable expression of our essential humanity." --John Lane, Timeless Simplicity: Creating Living in a Consumer Society
(I'm still reading this book for the first time and have found quite a few gems.)
"Creativity, or at least creative action, is another important consideration for building a simpler life. It is no mere luxury, but an indispensable expression of our essential humanity." --John Lane, Timeless Simplicity: Creating Living in a Consumer Society
(I'm still reading this book for the first time and have found quite a few gems.)
Really like this one! I am reviewing my day's activities to include some creativity, serenity moments as well as the 1 1/2 hours of walking my beagle.
Have you found that the pandemic has made you review and significantly adjust your day's activities? I have a $125 credit at the local pool as I had renewed my 6 month pass right before lockdown. I used to go to the indoor pool about 3x/week which was a really good deal. I rushed around to ensure that I went at that time.
After the past two years, I realize that I am not prepared to race around to get there or anywhere else. I want to savour each day. I still get the walk with the dog but the rushing around is gone. I am even back to reading, more taking control of technology by limiting time spent online despite a wide range of interests. Life is much more serene and enjoyable.
I was recently advised of Johann Hari's latest book and just the title is resonating with me, Stolen Focus. https://stolenfocusbook.com/
I was recently advised of Johann Hari's latest book and just the title is resonating with me, Stolen Focus. https://stolenfocusbook.com/
Razz, she was interviewed by Ezra Klein recently. The audio and transcript are here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/11/podcasts/transcript-ezra-klein-interviews-johann-hari.html
I really enjoyed the podcast.
Thanks for the link, Simone.
An oldie but goodie:
The businessman and the fisherman
One day a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his fishing pole propped up in the sand and his solitary line cast out into the sparkling blue surf. He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the prospect of catching a fish.
About that time, a businessman came walking down the beach, trying to relieve some of the stress of his workday. He noticed the fisherman sitting on the beach and decided to find out why this fisherman was fishing instead of working harder to make a living for himself and his family. “You aren’t going to catch many fish that way,” said the businessman to the fisherman.
“You should be working rather than lying on the beach!”
The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and replied, “And what will my reward be?”
“Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!” was the businessman’s answer. “And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman, still smiling. The businessman replied, “You will make money and you’ll be able to buy a boat, which will then result in larger catches of fish!”
“And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman again.
The businessman was beginning to get a little irritated with the fisherman’s questions. “You can buy a bigger boat, and hire some people to work for you!” he said.
“And then what will my reward be?” repeated the fisherman.
The businessman was getting angry. “Don’t you understand? You can build up a fleet of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and let all your employees catch fish for you!”
Once again the fisherman asked, “And then what will my reward be?”
The businessman was red with rage and shouted at the fisherman, “Don’t you understand that you can become so rich that you will never have to work for your living again! You can spend all the rest of your days sitting on this beach, looking at the sunset. You won’t have a care in the world!”
The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, “And what do you think I’m doing right now?”
“And then what will my reward be?” repeated the fisherman.
A participation trophy from the rat race, and an early demise from karoshi.
I have always liked this one.
"Best rule for a simple life... Care with no reason, Love with no expectation."
--Ritu Ghatourey
Another good one. Thanks, catherine.
“The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.”--Mary Oliver
Here's another creativity/simple life quote. Creativity is fundamental to the simple life: it is resourcefulness--how can you creatively resist just buying something? It is "production" as opposed to "consumption" which of course is good for the environment. Creative thinking distracts us from defaulting to passive pursuits. The creativity of craftsmanship/handiwork provides us with instruments of living that are beautiful and functional and are infused with our very breath.
Any other thoughts on the simple life vis-a-vis the creative life?
happystuff
4-5-22, 10:14am
Your post seems to be addressing the "creative life" as more physical creation. Having recently read A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf, my thoughts went to the creativity in the form of writing, music, etc. While it is someone timely, she did a good job addressing the ability of someone (women, in particular) to be able to create at all, as well as create in a way to be life-sustaining. Probably not explaining this well, but it's an interesting correlation.
Your post seems to be addressing the "creative life" as more physical creation. Having recently read A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf, my thoughts went to the creativity in the form of writing, music, etc. While it is someone timely, she did a good job addressing the ability of someone (women, in particular) to be able to create at all, as well as create in a way to be life-sustaining. Probably not explaining this well, but it's an interesting correlation.
I think "creativity" lives in a lot of different realms. Last year, after taking that Optimize program, I started checking off daily boxes for certain things I was hoping to get better at, like exercise, nutrition, watching less TV, etc. One of the boxes was "creativity" because I feel like I could be one of those people that Mary Oliver references. I found that I rarely checked that "creativity" box. However, when I did, it was because I had developed infographics for work. Not exactly the same as writing A Room of One's Own--but creative nonetheless. Creativity could be baking bread, creating a layout for the garden, making a tool by hand, taking a carpentry class (rosarugosa :). So many opportunities! Thankfully, we're not living in Virginia Woolf's time, but even if we were opportunities to be creative abound.
One night my DD and DSIL and I were sitting around the fire pit and DSIL and I both happen to LOVE Japanese art and design. So we were waxing philosophical on the beauty of a particular dustpan and broom we had seen in Muji. My DD couldn't grasp it. She said, "So are you guys talking about how much you love the design of a dustpan??" But to me, a well-designed dustpan encapsulates what the creative life means to me. Beauty + function is a lot of it. I think that's why one of my favorite books is William S. Copertwaite's A Handmade Life.
For me the connection has always had to do with keeping life as simple as possible to allow the space to create--spacing encompassing time, as well. Which is where Woolf's A Room of One's Own comes in, on a couple of levels. Women have always had to protect both time and space from those who would seek to take it from them.
For me the connection has always had to do with keeping life as simple as possible to allow the space to create--spacing encompassing time, as well. Which is where Woolf's A Room of One's Own comes in, on a couple of levels. Women have always had to protect both time and space from those who would seek to take it from them.
True--and women sometimes give it away too easily.
“He who will not economize will have to agonize.” --Confucious
"Simple living is not about elegant frugality. It is not really about deprivation of whatever is useful and helpful for our life. It is not about harsh rules and stringent regulations. To live simply, one has to consider all of these and they may be included in some degree, but simple living is about freedom. It's about freedom to choose space rather than clutter, to choose open and generous living rather than a secure and sheltered way." --Jose Hobday, Simple Living
I'm going to disagree with the second part of this one. While I do like space and not clutter I also want security and shelter. The two are not mutually exclusive. For me part of simplicity is knowing that I always will have more than I need. That to me is security and shelter. Reviewing my finances and saying "yeah, I can weather any disaster that may come our way" makes life much simpler.
I'm going to disagree with the second part of this one. While I do like space and not clutter I also want security and shelter. The two are not mutually exclusive. For me part of simplicity is knowing that I always will have more than I need. That to me is security and shelter. Reviewing my finances and saying "yeah, I can weather any disaster that may come our way" makes life much simpler.
I knew I was going to get pushback on that idea! Thanks for not disappointing me, jp! Let me see if I can frame what I think this means, and if it makes sense to you. I'm going refer back to the original source--which, by the way, was recommended in a post years ago, by WilliamSmith... I bought the book way back when.
"Open and generous living rather than a secure and sheltered way."
My thoughts: I think we get caught up in looking at security in purely monetary terms. It's our "safety net"--and our only safety net for the most part. But consider:
The simpler you live, the fewer financial resources you need, so your "security" is more within your grasp.
One of Dave Ramsey's sayings is "live like no one else" (i.e., save and stash money) and if you feel secure and that you have enough, you have freedom that others don't have--and you can be generous and open with what you have.
Money is not the only currency of security--it comes in many forms: relationships, social capital, a lightness of attitude, sense of freedom in that you have what you need.
Another quote from Hobday's book--and I think the "freedom" and "security" are very closely related. If you feel free, you don't fear for your security as much. Security is locking yourself in a place where people can't take from you; freedom is opening up the door knowing that you are secure.
"Freedom is about choices: Freedom to choose less rather than more. It's about choosing time for people and ideas and self-growth rather than for maintenance and guarding and possessing and cleaning. Simple living is about moving through life rather lightly, delighting in the plan and the subtle. It is about poetry and dance, song and art, music and grace. It is about optimism and humor, gratitude and appreciation. It is about embracing life with wide-open arms. It's about living and giving with no strings attached."
I think a sense of security comes from within. Some people are more tightly wound with the belief that the more money they have the more secure they are. Others are able to relax and feel secure with less money but with more time and more freedom and more choices--they can unlock the golden handcuffs.
We have to decide what security means for each of us. I think that once we take care of our needs and have a certain amount that makes us feel prepared for the future, we can release our fears and settle in to having a more open stance towards life. Freedom from a simple living point of view represents a shift in perspective from "more is better" to a grateful "I have enough right now."
catherine
4-12-22, 11:33am
"Simplicity involves unburdening your life, and living more lightly with fewer distractions that interfere with a high quality life, as defined uniquely by each individual."
- Linda Breen Pierce
rosarugosa
4-13-22, 9:25am
I really like that one, Catherine! I especially like that it acknowledges individual preferences on what constitutes a high quality of life.
What do you do when one spouse likes space and openness and years for that, and the other comes along and junks up each open space because he finds what he is adding to be "potentially useful in the future," not even right now?
So I just went to put away an electric extension cord in the place I made for it, only to find spouse had turned my box of such upside down, put seedling flat on top of it, even though it is in the dark, and put about two boxes of stuff around it related to seedling project. So I am so frustrated right now, and realize that no matter what empty space i acquire, he will ruin it with his junk and piles of stuff.
dado potato
4-13-22, 9:50am
Look at me -- I'm so ticked off that I'm molting!
Gilbert Gottfried (RIP) as the voice of Iago, a red macaw, in the Disney animation film, Aladdin (1992)
Look at me -- I'm so ticked off that I'm molting!
Gilbert Gottfried (RIP) as the voice of Iago, a red macaw, in the Disney animation film, Aladdin (1992)
I don't know, this is kind of a serious problem right now, and contributes to some depression, living with the mess.
happystuff
4-13-22, 11:34am
What do you do when one spouse likes space and openness and years for that, and the other comes along and junks up each open space because he finds what he is adding to be "potentially useful in the future," not even right now?
I agree - this is sooooo frustrating!
Where it is possible, I have started putting post-it notes on things. "Don't eat this", "Don't move this", etc. It helps for some things, but I admit, not for everything.
So I just went to put away an electric extension cord in the place I made for it, only to find spouse had turned my box of such upside down, put seedling flat on top of it, even though it is in the dark, and put about two boxes of stuff around it related to seedling project. So I am so frustrated right now, and realize that no matter what empty space i acquire, he will ruin it with his junk and piles of stuff.
It took me a long time being married before I realized that were (basically) two kinds of storage/organization systems. One kind optimizes for storage- putting things into the first available slot or horizontal surface, and the other kind optimizes for retrieval - creating homes and logical places for the storage of items so one can retrieve it easily later. Hubby and I had so many arguments because his idea of picking up is to create a neat pile of unrelated items in a common location or some random location that makes no sense and then can't find the item when its needed (usually when we are already late for something). Once I realized that I stopped being quite as triggered when he didn't do things the way I did.
I am the type that intentionally has multiples of certain items like scissors and keeps things where they'd be used most often. We now can mostly joke about it, but I still get frustrated sometimes when I see something somewhere it clearly doesn't "belong" and when he puts things in a place I know he will never remember and expect me to help him find it. Its on going. He has come to recognize the values of my system even if doesn't always follow it, and I stopped bailing him out to help him look for things. You put it away you find it. I also will occasionally needle him about how convenient it is that he can find things so easily when he intentionally makes a home for them.
The other thing that has helped is that he is free to do his piling of junk in his office and in his half of the basement. Shared areas (kitchen, living room, bedroom) need to be kept free of extraneous stuff. I help him with the process of thinking through, where does this "belong" because what is obvious to me is something he has to work at.
I also grew up in a household where Mom optimized for storage-everything had to be "neat" on the surface so things were randomly thrown in drawers. As a kid, I spent many hours looking for things for Mom due to this, usually when I had somewhere else to be and was therefore late, so its a personal pet peeve. I also had to recognize that hubby doing this was pressing this particular button.
So lots of commiseration and sympathy from me Tybee.
iris lilies
4-14-22, 12:42am
Once DH lined up all the pairs of scissors I have acquired on the kitchen counter and made a photograph of them. That was hilarious because I’m always complaining about not being able to find scissors. It took him quite a while to gather every pair of scissors in the house for this image.
He didn’t say anything, he just took the photo Developed, that was back in the days when we were still creating paper images.It’s a way to be snarky without having to voice snarkiness. It made me laugh.
We have been looking for a new house, and I realize that I am really drawn to these manufactured house interiors because they are clean and open and lots of white walls.
I wonder if I could keep it that way, if I bought land an put a manufactured home on it.
Here is an example from a house that just sold:
https://photos.zillowstatic.com/fp/1cbd6bb66e23353e15776883652fb402-cc_ft_576.jpg
https://photos.zillowstatic.com/fp/7afec3af073582bdc5bfc636b39e0ad8-cc_ft_576.jpg
That is what simple living looks like to me and I've never achieved it.
That is what simple living looks like to me and I've never achieved it.
I think it's really hard to maintain that level of simplicity-those rooms aren't lived in. But I understand for sure how difficult it is to keep things clutter free! The first year we were up here, I was able to better achieve that--Most of my stuff was still in New Jersey! Even my son said something along the lines of how clutter-free the place was--he was probably surprised because his home growing up was NEVER clutter-free.
The second year, we brought up more stuff, but it was still pretty uncluttered. I find now that as I acquire more things on a day-to-day basis the harder it is. But DH and I are a little better than we have been in the past about putting things away. My argument with him is about what we keep in the pantry and what we keep on the counter. I love the pantry because all that clutter goes in it. But he's an amateur chef and he likes having everything at hand. So I'll put stuff in the pantry and he'll take it out and put it back on the counter.
He also gets mad at me if I "hide things" (put them away). I don't know why he feels he has to be able to see it on tables and counters.. but right now it's not overwhelming. I've agreed to certain things being out for a certain period of time. Like, we're wallpapering now, and he has a whole pile of crap on the floor sandpaper and putty knives and other things that don't even have anything to do with papering. They've sat there for three weeks now. As soon as this project is finished, he'll have to put the stuff back.
I find that clutter control is similar to the "broken window theory"--as soon as the seal is cracked in the clutter arena, then everything gets cluttered. As long as you can stop the first out-of-place thing from creeping out, you have a chance to keep it that way.
BTW, my favorite decorating book of all time is Peaceful Spaces by Alice Whately. I love the simplicity of her look--natural elements, very Zen. I think we are on the same page, Tybee, but I tend to prefer more color
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"The cart before the horse is neither beautiful nor useful. Before we can adorn our houses with beautiful objects the walls must be stripped, and our lives must be stripped, and beautiful housekeeping and beautiful living be laid for a foundation…” –Henry David Thoreau
(sorry--another Thoreau quote, but I found it goes well with the recent posts.)
That is a lovely picture. Really helpful thoughts about living in a house--I think I am attracted to stage sets!
Manufactured dwellings have been calling my name lately, but not because of open design or white walls, but privacy and efficiency.
People have different organizational styles. Unfortunately, I'm a piler. If I can't see it, it doesn't exist--unfortunately.
happystuff
4-14-22, 6:11pm
Manufactured dwellings have been calling my name lately, but not because of open design or white walls, but privacy and efficiency.
People have different organizational styles. Unfortunately, I'm a piler. If I can't see it, it doesn't exist--unfortunately.
I'm a piler as well, but in the sense that - if it is out and it is clutter, I WILL eventually get sick of seeing it and will deal with it. That is how I emptied my attic. I bought a box down and put it in my computer room. When I finally got tired of it sitting there, I went through it and dealt with stuff. Love having a specified donation corner, but wish I could get them picked up quicker. LOL.
ToomuchStuff
4-15-22, 1:01am
What do you do when one spouse likes space and openness and years for that, and the other comes along and junks up each open space because he finds what he is adding to be "potentially useful in the future," not even right now?
So I just went to put away an electric extension cord in the place I made for it, only to find spouse had turned my box of such upside down, put seedling flat on top of it, even though it is in the dark, and put about two boxes of stuff around it related to seedling project. So I am so frustrated right now, and realize that no matter what empty space i acquire, he will ruin it with his junk and piles of stuff.
ROTFLMAO......................
Does it have to be spouse?
I ask because at the shop, the brothers that owned it, well, the one has a piling system. ( Him, hey, do you know where x is? Me, Last I saw it, you put it in that pile there. Him I don't see it! Me, I am not your mom)
The other (deceased one), just pretty much threw it all in the file cabinet in a pile or the trash can. (no files)
I have been doing a lot of the day to day operating the last few years as they had medical issues, yet no power to change things. The one boss died, and I took over the checkbook (they never used a register), had seven days to get all the PPP stuff together (he had thrown it all away), took over getting stuff to the accountant, and paying utility bills etc. I dumped two file cabinet drawers into boxes (sort out because I need to have a place to keep track of stuff), brought in files and some holders for the back of the door.
Today, we received a letter from the IRS about his estate taxes (2020), that they didn't have a death certificate for. I was able to pull one out in thirty seconds.
Flat surfaces, LOL. A place to PILE stuff, until it falls down. (shaking my head)
iris lilies
4-15-22, 1:37am
That is what simple living looks like to me and I've never achieved it.
Hmmm, that is too bare for me.
Now, If the room has wonderful architectural features I see no need to clutter it up. There are many pictures on Pinterest of old Paris apartments with minimal furnishings. I love those minimalist rooms, but then who doesn’t?
I find that people use the word “cozy “and they seem to mean having soft furnishings like window treatments and upholstered furniture and maybe even “stuff” sitting around. Or?
I would not need a lot of stuff in these beautiful Paris apartments:
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“A simple life is not seeing how little we can get by with—that’s poverty—but how efficiently we can put first things first. . . . When you’re clear about your purpose and your priorities, you can painlessly discard whatever does not support these, whether it’s clutter in your cabinets or commitments on your calendar.”
― Victoria Moran, Lit From Within: Tending Your Soul For Lifelong Beauty
“When you’re clear about your purpose and your priorities, you can painlessly discard whatever does not support these”
― Victoria Moran, Lit From Within: Tending Your Soul For Lifelong Beauty
I think this is what I am going for, getting clearer about my purpose and my priorities, identifying them and discarding the things that take up my time and keep me from following my purposes. Like yesterday, it felt like it was the garden we are trying to create, digging it out of an old farmyard that is littered with trees, vines, bricks, weeds, broken glass, and old iron from farm implements. I don't want to spend my days this way. I'd rather just be able to dig in an easier garden.
“A simple life is not seeing how little we can get by with—that’s poverty—but how efficiently we can put first things first. . . . When you’re clear about your purpose and your priorities, you can painlessly discard whatever does not support these, whether it’s clutter in your cabinets or commitments on your calendar.”
― Victoria Moran, Lit From Within: Tending Your Soul For Lifelong Beauty
That's a good definition; it doesn't smell of hair shirts and self-flagellation, or what a friend calls "anorexic living."
happystuff
4-15-22, 3:42pm
" When you’re clear about your purpose and your priorities, "
This, to me, is the hard part.
"To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life."--John Burroughs
happystuff
4-16-22, 9:51pm
So true, so true. Love this one, catherine. Thanks!
"To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life."--John Burroughs
My favourite so far. I feel that I am actually living this one.
catherine
4-21-22, 10:11am
This is an Earth Day Eve Simple Living quote, from Braiding Sweetgrass, which has become one of my favorite books ever.
“Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you may take care of them.
Introduce yourself. Be accountable as the one who comes asking for life. Ask permission before taking. Abide by the answer.
Never take the first. Never take the last. Take only what you need.
Take only that which is given.
Never take more than half. Leave some for others. Harvest in a way that minimizes harm.
Use it respectfully. Never waste what you have taken. Share.
Give thanks for what you have been given.
Give a gift, in reciprocity for what you have taken.
Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.”
― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
dado potato
4-22-22, 10:31am
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NOTE: I just happened upon this book--A book about simple living I actually haven't read yet! Then I noticed it was published by my favorite publishing house, Chelsea Green.
I recently read Don Mitchell, Flying Blind, a Chelsea Green title.
Here's a Don Mitchell quotation: Walking in the woods the other day, I felt a scary freedom -- scary, and yet exhilarating too. ... And the sense that things do change -- that everything is changing, and so people may as well change, too.
Why, given time enough a hand can grow into a wing. And when it does, it's going to find a way to fly
catherine
4-22-22, 10:45am
I recently read Don Mitchell, Flying Blind, a Chelsea Green title.
Thank you, dado, for contributing SL QOTD #27! May not be strictly simple living, but I think it speaks to the simplicity of going with the flow of life.
"Walking in the woods the other day, I felt a scary freedom -- scary, and yet exhilarating too. ... And the sense that things do change -- that everything is changing, and so people may as well change, too. Why, given time enough a hand can grow into a wing. And when it does, it's going to find a way to fly."
--Don Mitchell, Flying Blind: One Man's Adventures Battling Buckthorn, Making Peace with Authority, and Creating a Home for Endangered Bats
"My wish simply is to live my life as fully as I can. In both our work and our leisure, I think, we should be so employed. And in our time this means that we must save ourselves from the products that we are asked to buy in order, ultimately, to replace ourselves."
--Wendell Berry, The Art of the Commonplace (2002)
"If it costs you your peace, it's too expensive."--Unknown
happystuff
4-26-22, 10:03am
Short and sweet - and so true!
“...there are often many things we feel we should do that, in fact, we don't really have to do. Getting to the point where we can tell the difference is a major milestone in the simplification process.”
― Elaine St. James, Living the Simple Life: A Guide to Scaling Down and Enjoying More
iris lilies
4-27-22, 9:55am
“...there are often many things we feel we should do that, in fact, we don't really have to do. Getting to the point where we can tell the difference is a major milestone in the simplification process.”
― Elaine St. James, Living the Simple Life: A Guide to Scaling Down and Enjoying More
this is how I TRY to live my life, avoiding “ should do” things. I’m pretty good at this point in my old age of defining boundaries for what I will do versus what I won’t do.
“...there are often many things we feel we should do that, in fact, we don't really have to do. Getting to the point where we can tell the difference is a major milestone in the simplification process.”
― Elaine St. James, Living the Simple Life: A Guide to Scaling Down and Enjoying More
I like this one, but I may have taken it too far. I suppose I should go out and snag my mail one of these days...:~)
rosarugosa
4-28-22, 6:20am
“...there are often many things we feel we should do that, in fact, we don't really have to do. Getting to the point where we can tell the difference is a major milestone in the simplification process.”
― Elaine St. James, Living the Simple Life: A Guide to Scaling Down and Enjoying More
This is a good one, and it's certainly something I strive for, but always a work in progress.
“Remember, the things with which we choose to surround ourselves tell our story. Let’s hope it’s not 'I choose to live in the past,' or 'I can’t finish the projects I start.' Instead, let’s aim for something like, 'I live lightly and gracefully, with only the objects I find functional or beautiful.'”
― Francine Jay, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life (Francine used to be a poster on SLN).
“Remember, the things with which we choose to surround ourselves tell our story. Let’s hope it’s not 'I choose to live in the past,' or 'I can’t finish the projects I start.' Instead, let’s aim for something like, 'I live lightly and gracefully, with only the objects I find functional or beautiful.'”
― Francine Jay, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life (Francine used to be a poster on SLN).
That is profound! Look around your dwelling objectively? I see some UFO'a (unfinished objects) but keep decluttering and reviewing the worth of what I see.
As for the mental clutter, does one recycle hurts/negatives and forget/ignore the daily joys.
happystuff
4-28-22, 9:34am
“Remember, the things with which we choose to surround ourselves tell our story. Let’s hope it’s not 'I choose to live in the past,' or 'I can’t finish the projects I start.' Instead, let’s aim for something like, 'I live lightly and gracefully, with only the objects I find functional or beautiful.'”
― Francine Jay, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life (Francine used to be a poster on SLN).
I use this one as an explanation as to why I have an ~32 inch TV. I don't NEED or WANT a big screen tv to be the first thing I see when I walk into the living room/family room.
iris lilies
4-28-22, 9:19pm
I use this one as an explanation as to why I have an ~32 inch TV. I don't NEED or WANT a big screen tv to be the first thing I see when I walk into the living room/family room.
I am thrilled that I will have no television in my condo, and in our Herman house there will be a TV room With door that closes for the TV. There will be no TV in the living room, the sunroom, or the kitchen dining area. In other words the public rooms will have no TV. We may have a TV in the guest bedroom that I might watch now and then, but that’s a big maybe.
"If it costs you your peace, it's too expensive."--Unknown
That quote reminds me of a story that my sister told me about our parents. My dad was fairly conservative financially. But back in the late 70's my dad became convinced that the price of gold was going to rocket to the moon because of the various things going on then from inflation to Nixon removing the US from the gold standard. So for the one time in his life he went "all in" with a bet that this was the case. At the time he had told my mom about his decision to do this and she had tried to talk him out of it but he was committed. I don't know the details but apparently he actually used all the leverage available to him (he went into debt) and bought the biggest position in gold that he could. It turned out that he had timed the market just about right and a few months later he exited his position, paid off his debt and had made a nice profit. But according to mom he didn't sleep the entire time, wandering around the house all night worrying that if he'd been wrong it would have been the worst financial decision of his life. Apparently he learned the lesson of quote #30 though. As far as I know he spent the rest of his life as a cautious "buy safe stable investments and hold them until you need the money" kind of guy.
"We believed it was better to pay as you go than it was to pay your bills by borrowing and laying up debts for another day. To pay as you go, that policy is a safer business policy and a saner business policy, and we thought it was a saner national policy."
--Helen and Scott Nearing
Emily: But, just for a moment now we’re all together. Mama, just for a moment we’re happy. Let’s look at one another.
I can’t. I can’t go on. It goes so fast. We don’t have time to look at one another. I didn’t realize. All that was going on in life, and we never noticed. Take me back – up the hill – to my grave.
But first: Wait! One more look. Good-by, Good-by, world. Good-by, Grover’s Corners. Mama and Papa. Good-bye to clocks ticking. And Mama’s sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new-ironed dresses and hot baths. And sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you’re too wonderful for anybody to realize you!
Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? – every, every minute?
Stage Manager: No. The saints and poets, maybe they do some.
-------------------------------------
Backstory to my relationship with this quote.
Back in 1968 I was given a part in my high school play--Our Town. I was a couple of years into my "new life"--my mother had divorced my father, and I was on the other side of the pendulum swing from daily stress and anxiety to a completely joyous and carefree life. It was really like waking up to life. I glommed on to everything--friends, activities, learning, laughing. In my diary I wrote "I even love hating homework because homework is part of life and I love life."
So this specific play was emblematic of my life at this time so it was a gift to have been given the opportunity to express it on stage--that is, my desire to grab onto everything: the "sunflowers...food... coffee.. new-ironed dresses."
It's hard to sustain that level of awakening and realization. After a while I got caught up in distractions that kept me from plugging into that joy as a constant state, but it's still what I aspire to and try to practice.
happystuff
5-1-22, 11:19am
To me it rings of gratitude and appreciation for everything - good and bad.
And I agree - it is hard to sustain that level of awakening and realization, but - oh, what a joy on those occasions when it is realized!
I tap into that feeling the best on my nature walks.
“If you live for having it all, what you have is never enough.”
― Vicki Robin, Your Money or Your Life
Double-header here (see previous Quote of the Day #34) because I missed a day and also because I love this quote below so much it's kind of my own personal wild card. It's not strictly simple living, but in a way it is. If you can narrow your passion to one thing, you can have a simple life. In the case of Edward Abbey, his passion is nature in all its forms.
---------------------------------
"My loyalties will not be bound by national borders, or confined in time by one nation's history, or limited in the spiritual dimension by one language and culture. I pledge my allegiance to the damned human race, and my everlasting love to the green hills of Earth, and my intimations of glory to the singing stars, to the very end of space and time."
--Edward Abbey
Emily: But, just for a moment now we’re all together. Mama, just for a moment we’re happy. Let’s look at one another.
I can’t. I can’t go on. It goes so fast. We don’t have time to look at one another. I didn’t realize. All that was going on in life, and we never noticed. Take me back – up the hill – to my grave.
But first: Wait! One more look. Good-by, Good-by, world. Good-by, Grover’s Corners. Mama and Papa. Good-bye to clocks ticking. And Mama’s sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new-ironed dresses and hot baths. And sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you’re too wonderful for anybody to realize you!
Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it? – every, every minute?
Stage Manager: No. The saints and poets, maybe they do some.
-------------------------------------
Backstory to my relationship with this quote.
Back in 1968 I was given a part in my high school play--Our Town. I was a couple of years into my "new life"--my mother had divorced my father, and I was on the other side of the pendulum swing from daily stress and anxiety to a completely joyous and carefree life. It was really like waking up to life. I glommed on to everything--friends, activities, learning, laughing. In my diary I wrote "I even love hating homework because homework is part of life and I love life."
So this specific play was emblematic of my life at this time so it was a gift to have been given the opportunity to express it on stage--that is, my desire to grab onto everything: the "sunflowers...food... coffee.. new-ironed dresses."
It's hard to sustain that level of awakening and realization. After a while I got caught up in distractions that kept me from plugging into that joy as a constant state, but it's still what I aspire to and try to practice.
This one rings so true to me right now. As my workometer keeps inexorably ticking down toward zero I'm more and more aware of the time flying past. It seems like suddenly I've gone from "my god, adult life is so exciting! I wonder what my best friend C is doing? Maybe he wants to go to happy hour" and then being focused on that moment and not thinking about what may happen the next day. to "I've been working 32 years and plan to work another 7. Where does the time go?" as I pack an amazon return, make SO's lunch for tomorrow and chop veggies for tonight's shrimp stir fry dinner. The reality is that I'm just as happy, and present, doing the things I'm doing this evening as I was doing the things I was doing 30 years ago. In both cases I'm very present in the moment and very grateful for that moment but the moment is not at all the same and it makes me wonder what that moment will be for me 10, 20, 30 years down the road if I should be lucky enough to be still having moments then.
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." – Leonardo da Vinci
"Of all the ridiculous things, the most ridiculous seems to me to be busy." --Soren Kierkegaard
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