Simply Living

I've been finding inspiration all over the place for my new obsession of living simply. I haven't embraced it in my own life yet, aside from combining my bedroom and office into one small room in my house, but I'm looking forward to purging stuff that I don't need and making do with much less. Maybe it was the Tumbleweed Tiny House site that first got me hooked on the idea, or visiting Thoreau's cabin several years ago.  In any case, I think that nothing but good can come of this. Do we own our stuff, or does our stuff own us?

Could you live with just 50 things? Everett Bogue of The Art of Being Minimalist has done just that. I probably have over 50 things just related to nordic skiing! Not to mention cycling, camping, kayaking, yoga...


How much is enough?


To paraphrase Thoreau: To be happy, do not add to your possessions, but subract from your desires.
I think he may have been on to something.
The Journey of a Walk Across America is a blog by a man who is walking from NY to OR and pushing his belongings in a modified jogging stroller. He carries two books with him and when he finishes one, he trades it for a new one.

If you need suggestions on how to incorporate simplicity into your daily life, a little at a time, visit
 Zen Habits

Living small doesn't mean living without style. Check out some gorgeous homes made from recycled materials at Tiny Texas Houses and find out how best to appoint your tiny abode at Apartment Therapy

A May bouquet to brighten your day!

The month of writing and guitar is going swimmingly. And I mean this literally, since it's been rainy for the majority of the first two weeks of this month. The weather has been cooperating with my intentions for indoor activities. But today the sun is back out, and it's time to get back outside for a bit. Before I do that, just wanted to share the latest update in the writing life. I have submitted my first piece for publication! It's an interview/article I wrote for the Yoga Center of Minneapolis' newspaper on Equestrian Yoga. Look for it at the downtown Mpls. and St. Louis Park locations next month.

And I'm off!

Yoga and Bike Month

I wanted to do the 30 days of biking challenge, but I also wanted to do 30 days of yoga, so I decided to do both in April. Yoga and riding the bike every day for a month. It went well. I only missed four days of cycling, mostly due to going out of town one weekend. I still made it 22 days in a row, which is way more than I would have done without the challenge, so I'm pretty happy with my results. The yoga was easy, since I count everything from five minutes of meditation to going to yoga class to practicing handstand for 10 breaths. The goal was not to obsess or beat myself up if I missed a day here or there. The goal was to see if I could commit to something every day for a whole month. I like this idea because the common belief is that it takes anywhere from 21 to 30 days to make something a habit. I want to add good habits to my life.

The month of May will be guitar and writing month. I've already done today's allotment. Only 30 days to go! Who knows, I may end up as a songwriter by June ;)