Maximum Gratitude, Minimal Stuff

Did you read Walden, or Life in the Woods * when you were in school?  It's pretty ubiquitous on high school reading lists, which makes it surprising that plenty of people misunderstand Henry David Thoreau's classic. The 1854 book has gained a reputation as being about a man who dropped out of society to live as a hermit in the woods.  But that's not the point at all . Thoreau actually lived in a time somewhat like ours, when technology was advancing faster than ever before.  (It was the era of increasing railroad travel and a huge shift in population from rural farm work to urban, machine-centered factories.)  Partisan politics were acrimonious and threatened to rip the country apart.  (The US Civil War was only a few years away.)  There was a worldwide pandemic.  (Tuberculosis, widespread and far deadlier than COVID, ended Thoreau's life when he was just 42.) Walden is the perfect book to read or re-read this year. * This blog is reader-supported....

Think about the last time you wanted to make a change in your life.  How did you begin?  If you're anything like me, you may have started by thinking about what to add. I want to be better informed.  Maybe I need to subscribe to that news service, keep up with social media, and check in with that news channel throughout the day. I want my house to look better.  I should buy a new sofa to replace my old one, and upgrade the kitchen with new flooring and countertops. I want to improve my health.  I need to sign up with a personal trainer, and I should probably add the latest super foods to my diet or invest in some supplements. See what I mean?  The first step for most of us toward reaching a goal is a list of things to add. We're used to pushing for more. Why should we be surprised?  Our culture surrounds us with advertising that's designed to make us feel incomplete unless we buy the products on offer.  Advertisers and social media strive to creat...

Ask people to name someone they admire and want to emulate, and many will name a star actor, athlete, singer, or business titan.  Some will name a teacher, mentor, parent, or grandparent, but a large number of us idolize and model our lives on someone who has acquired fame and riches for their accomplishments. Achievement .  It's the one strong desire of our era.  The brightest and best want to achieve what no one else has managed, and I'm not just talking about Olympic record-setters.  We want to be richer than anyone has ever been.  We want to be internet sensations with millions of followers.  We want to colonize Mars, and then launch ourselves beyond the solar system with ships designed to travel for generations. In our production-driven, climb-the-corporate-ladder world, we're always reaching for something we don't yet have.  Yes, we're capable of imagining things that don't exist.  We can innovate.  But today we believe that there are n...

Have you struggled to declutter?  I have, and I know I'm not alone.  It's not just the physical effort and constant decisions that can make decluttering hard.  It's also the emotions attached to things that we've owned for a long time, or that have been passed to us from loved ones.  It's the guilt we feel about how much we've spent, or how we never used something as much as we "should" have.  And it's the second-guessing that makes us wonder if we'll regret removing something, or worry that we might need it in the future. That's a lot of issues conspiring to keep us stuck with our clutter.  No wonder decluttering is something that many people say they want to do , but so few actually accomplish it and live to tell the tale! Here's the good news:  You don't have to be naturally neat or a compulsive organizer in order to declutter effectively.  Decluttering is not about forcing yourself to let go.  It's about shifting the way you...

You've decided to declutter!  Spring is springing, and your house is feeling crowded, dark, and grubby.  Things are coming alive outside, so why not add some life and energy inside? I'm glad you're here.  Decluttering is one door to a life of freedom, purpose, and contentment.  It's totally worth the time and effort, which can be considerable.  But it's an investment in your happier future, with less stress, more time, and more focus.  Yay for all of that! But I think I should warn you about some of the not-so-great aspects that you're going to discover as you follow this path.  Believe me, the end is worth it, but along the way you're going to be faced with some awful truths. 5 truths you don't want to hear but need to know 1.  Decluttering alone won't automatically change your life. I promise a lot when I talk about decluttering.  And everything I say is true – but it's possible to do a gigantic purge and not get the life change you're loo...

Who says winter is the only time to hygge?  Hygge elements enhance life every day, no matter the time of year. Hygge (originally a Norwegian word pronounced "hoo-gah") can be loosely translated as "well-being."  The Danes adopted the word and turned it into a lifestyle.  They're always at or near the top of the list on international happiness surveys, and hygge is a big part of the reason for that. Why should you care about hygge? Maybe you're not Danish (I'm not either), and you're wondering what this fascination with hygge is all about.  You're already super-busy, and you don't need to add one more "must do" item to your schedule. Being too buy, fixating on achievement, and always looking for more and better are habits that add to our stress and dissatisfaction.  How can we possibly find contentment when we're always chasing the next big thing?  That's a foolproof recipe for unhappiness. Usually, it's not money, posses...