I mentioned on another thread about a book that I'm reading titled, "The Simple Living Guide." The title is misleading, in that it doesn't recommend actually living simply. It's message is that nobody has time to enjoy life anymore, and that we should live under our means, rather than over. Which is all too common in todays' society. We're all too caught up in keeping up with the Jones', that nobody has time to relax and enjoy what life is truly all about. <P>As Henry David Thoreau put it:<P>
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I wanted to live deep and suck all the marrow of life."<P>Pretty powerful message. The key word in this statement is not
woods, but it's
deliberately. Simple living is about living deliberately. You
choose your existence rather than sailing through life on automatic pilot. Your existence can be in the woods, in the city, as a doctor, an office manager, a teacher. You could have any level of income, whatever it is. It's about having money in the bank, and a zero balance on your credit card. It's about truly
living.<BR>Paraphrased from the book.<P>My point in writing is that I wanted to share what the book states as the 28 secrets to happiness. So, here they are. <P>1. Live beneath your means and within your seams.<P>2. Return everything you borrow.<P>3. Donate blood.<P>4. Stop blaming other people.<P>5. Admit it when you make a mistake.<P>6. Give all the clothes that you haven't worn in the last three years to charity.<P>7. Every day do something nice and try not to get caught.<P>8. Listen more; talk less.<P>9. Every day take a 30-minute walk in your neighborhood.<P>10. Skip two meals a week and give the money to the homeless.<P>11. Strive for excellence, not perfection.<P>12. Be on time.<P>13. Don't make excuses.<P>14. Don't argue.<P>15. Get organized.<P>16. Be kind to kind people.<P>17. Be even kinder to unkind people.<P>18. Let someone cut ahead of you in line.<P>19. Take time to be alone.<P>20. Reread a favorite book.<P>21. Cultivate good manners.<P>22. Be humble.<P>23. Understand and accept that life isn't always fair.<P>24. Know when to say something.<P>25. Know when to keep your mouth shut.<P>26. Don't criticize anyone for 24 hours.<P>27.
Learn from the past, plan for the future, and live in the present.<P>28. Don't sweat the small stuff.<P><BR>Feel free to add your own secrets to a happy life. I bet we could all come up with some wonderful things. What do you say guys? What are
your secrets?????<P>------------------<BR>
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.<BR>Helen Keller<BR><p>[This message has been edited by Distrusting (edited September 08, 1999).]
