Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Wednesday, 03 January 2007 - Simplicity

Dear God:

Today, I am thankful for simplicity - a quality that I want to attain - a goal towards which I am inching ever closer.

Out of clutter, find simplicity.
~Albert Einstein


Simplicity doesn't mean to live in misery and poverty. You have what you need, and you don't want to have what you don't need.
~Charan Singh

Simplicity, carried to an extreme, becomes elegance. ~Jon Franklin

How difficult it is to be simple. ~Vincent Van Gogh

I don't need a lot of things anymore. I still like nice things, however. Quality over quantity. More of a European than American attitude that appeals to my imagined French persona.

So, I am seeking simplicity again this year, primarily in my closet, house and work. At least I'm somewhere in the middle of this journey. The beginning was tortuous. Now, I'm mindful of what I have, what I need and what I want (but don't need). I also know what I wear or use frequently, occasionally or very rarely.

This year, I'm not going to hesitate about giving away a pair of barely worn shoes for which I paid full price or books that I read just once before placing on the shelf. These things deserve a more useful life than I can give them. It's time for me and my "stuff" to move on.

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. ~Hans Hoffman

For this blessing, I am grateful.

Amen.

Photo: A child's sippy cup and small bottle of water on the park bench - just where they sat before the snow storm.

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