• Irwin's Home Page
  • All About My Books
  • Irwin the Frog's Little Blog
  • About Me and My Family
  • Irwin's Family Photos
  • More Family Photos
  • Land of Lily Pad
  • Life in Lily Pad and Frog Holidays
  • Fun Stuff
  • Cool Stuff to Learn
  • How to Behave in the Swamp
  • Irwin's Favorite Things

      The Frog's Blog

Hi friends. This blog is a labor of love and I want to continue writing every day for a long time to come. But I need a little help. The fees to maintain this website are getting costly for a little frog. If you enjoy reading my blogs, will you please donate a dollar or two, or whatever you can, to help me keep this site (and blog) up and running? I'm on PayPal at irwinquagmirewart@gmail.com. Thank you!

Contact me

Simplicity is the law of nature.

7/12/2019

0 Comments

 
I'm keeping it simple on this Friday morning. And by that I mean I'm paying tribute to National Simplicity Day. The holiday falls each year on 12 July in honor of the birthday of Henry David Thoreau who was born on this day in 1887. "Thoreau was a jack-of-all-trades — an author, an environmentalist, an abolitionist, a poet — but you probably remember him from your high school English class mainly as a transcendentalist. He and his contemporary transcendentalists believed, in simple terms, that people have knowledge about themselves that “transcends” all the external forces in their lives." Thoreau once said, “As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.”
Simple is good, right? We all too much stuff, myself included, and it isn't always easy to part with our treasures. I get that. So, you might ask, how can you simplify your life without giving away everything you own and going off to live in the woods, as Henry David Thoreau did all those years ago? Here are a few tips on how to best live simply.
1.  Reread Walden Pond. I know it's probably been a while since you've read this much-loved classic but perhaps today, in honor of its author's birthday, why not pick it up and reread it? "Thoreau chose to remove himself from society for two years to live as simply as possible in a cabin in the woods near Walden Pond and wrote his reflections of that time down in Walden. I also know that it's probably not realistic for you to go and live like a hermit as Thoreau did, but you can live vicariously through him and his inspiring book.
2.  Unplug the tech. Yep, all of it. Give yourself a tech-free day; heck even a tech-free afternoon can help you tune in to real life rather than what's on Facebook. You’ll be surprised at how refreshing it can feel to not be constantly plugged into everything that’s going on in everyone else’s life—and I'm willing to bet that when you log into your social media tomorrow morning, you’ll find you didn’t miss much.
3.  Declutter your home. Okay so you need to throw out (or give away or sell) some stuff but you needn't give away everything, "Use Simplicity Day as an excuse to take a long, hard look at all your various objects and figure out what’s really important to you vs. what’s just taking up space. Take everything that falls into the latter category and donate it — you’ll feel more comfortable in your home and you’ll have done a bonus good deed!" And if you have things to sell you might make yourself a little extra cash. But PLEASE don't be tempted to use it to buy more stuff. Set it aside in a savings account for a future vacation. or donate the loot to your favorite worthy charity. It is very freeing to declutter. Very freeing.
So why celebrate National Simplicity Day?
A.  It's an excuse to unwind. "Our lives are constantly scheduled out between jobs, school, workouts, childcare, etc. and we often forget how taxing it can be to always be moving from one thing to the next. Simplicity Day gives us a chance to put all of those elements of our lives on pause, even if it’s just mentally, and focus on the importance of the simple things."
B.  It celebrates getting out into nature (and that's always something to celebrate!) "For Thoreau, a big part of living simply was getting away from the distractions of everyday life by spending time in nature. That could be in the woods, by a lake, on a beach, you name it. Spending time in nature also happens to be one of those special, simple pleasures with an extra perk: it’s free!"

C.  It's an ancient idea. Not all old ideas and ways are good, but this one sure is! "Although Simplicity Day is celebrated in honor of Thoreau, the principles behind it go back way further than the nineteenth century and span across many different cultures. From the founders of the yoga practice to monks of both eastern and western traditions, many groups of people through the ages have banded around philosophies that emphasized simplifying your life in both mental and material ways."
So how will you celebrate Simplicity Day? Me? I'm going to spend a little time clearing out my junk drawer. Everybody's got one and mine is overflowing. Then I'll go for a leisurly swim. Finally, later this afternoon, I intend to pick up my own copy of Walden Pond and begin rereading it. Perhaps I'll even introduce my little brother to it. 
Whatever your plans are for today and the coming weekend, I hope that it does include a little solitude. It's always good for the soul and it helps the brain to recharge. Please join me back here on Monday. Until then,
                                                                        PEACE.
Picture
https://nationaltoday.com/national-simplicity-day/
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Land of Lily Pad's first published author. I enjoy writing fun and educational books for kids. My blog is for you parents; the kiddos might like some of them, too. As always, everything I write is family-friendly, so don't hesitate to share my messages with everyone. I hope you find them helpful and maybe even inspirational. Cheers! 

    Archives

    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

All roads lead to the Land of Lily Pad