simplicity

A while ago, Oprah did a show based on an experiment that she asked some families to try. The topic was What Can You Live Without? The premise was to have four families go without certain items like cell phones, laptops, TV and see what they gained from the experience.

The results might just get you excited about trying this for your New Year's Resolution instead of the same recycled challenges year after year. If you challenge yourself to live without some of your creature comforts then maybe you might just find that you will excercise more, lose weight and have more time to yourself.

Oprah herself appeared to be affected by the experiment. In the spirit of living with less, Oprah went through her own closet to see what she could live without — and asked her audience members to donate ten things from their own homes. “Now more than ever, we all need to think about those who have been hardest hit by our economy, and the extra stuff in our lives might be something that somebody else really needs,” Oprah says.
 

I saw this wonderful piece the other day and thought what a fantastic outlook on life. Maybe in this day and age, we do need to stop and think about the simplicity of life and how it really can boil down to "no left turns".

The Fall usually brings for me a sense of urgency. The holidays really rev up the desire for me to control my surroundings. Trying to balance my life at this point is quite difficult because of my desire to not become overwhelmed.

In September I start thinking about Halloween costumes because I hate trying to find the last piece of the cherished costume on Oct. 30. In October I start thinking of Christmas because I know that Thanksgiving will be busy and I despise shopping after Thanksgiving. And so it goes every year and every year I try to slim it down. I keep trying to get back the Holiday spirit that I remember so fondly before becoming a mom, a wife, a career woman and a person with a little extra spending money.