Living the Simple Life

Living the Simple Life
St. James, Elaine

For a number of years now I have been trying, sometimes with success and sometimes not, to simplify my life. That means different things to different people. For me it meant learning to say "no" more often than I said "yes" when people asked me to do things. It also means that I am trying to clean out all the "stuff" that I have collected over the years. It is always a fight to overcome the urge to keep something because I might possibly need it at another time when, really, I know that I won't ever need it again and that I could easily replace it if the need ever arose. We all have way too much stuff. This little book didn't really give me any new insights on simplifying my life but it reinforced some things that I am already working on. Actually, I do have to say that I took at least one step yesterday that she mentioned in the book. I am addicted to email. Well, perhaps not addicted but if I hear that little "chime" that my computer makes when I receive a new email I need to stop and check it out. I look at my email too many times over the course of the day because I hear that little tone. So, yesterday I went in and turned off the tone. Amazing. I didn't need to check the old computer as often because I didn't hear it telling me that I had a new message. I guess the book was worthwhile. By the way I got it through Paperback Book Swap so I didn't have to shell out any money for it.