“Wanna Hang Out?” March 11, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Fun & Games, People, Simplify Your Life.Tags: Art, Frisbee, Games, Humor, Music, People, Table tennis
66 comments
In high school, we hung out at our house.
Friends dropped by most afternoons and evenings with no set agenda other than the desire to “hang out.”
Some played Frisbee while others played the guitar.
Two might grab paddles for ping-pong while two more grabbed pool sticks. If you wanted to get in on the action, it was easy . . . ”I’ve got winner.”
With no set plans, we flowed from activity to activity: backgammon, chatting, reading, painting. Music played in the background and everyone felt free to make the next selection.
We didn’t worry about consensus. We just hung out together and chilled.
As adults, it’s different. We seldom hang out with friends and do our own thing. Instead, we entertain.
Entertaining is constraining. Rather than pursuing our own interests while congregating together, we act in concert.
In tandem.
Hanging out in tandem is like riding a bicycle built for two: both parties must be of one mind if they hope to make any headway.
In Noon At Tiffany’s, Clara lived in a boardinghouse with an adopted family. In the evenings, the group congregated in her rooms to read, write, put on plays, chat, sketch, or engage in intellectual discourse.
Members of the group didn’t feel compelled to entertain each other. They just “hung out,” pursuing individual interests while congregating together.
Reading about their impromptu gatherings made me nostalgic for high school when I could phone a friend and issue an invitation without having any plans in mind . . . other than the simple desire to get-together:
“Hey! Wanna hang out?”
Aah . . . that’s better!
Ziggy’s Problem . . . Too Much Stuff! March 4, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Books & Movies, Fiction, Simplify Your Life.Tags: Fiction, Simplify Your Life, Stuff, Too Much Stuff, Ziggy
57 comments
Image: Wikipedia
Ziggy zig-zagged across the floor of his room . . . by necessity, not choice.
He had Too Much Stuff.
His drawers overflowed with Stuff and would no longer close. Shelves sagged from being crammed full of Stuff. The closet bulged with Stuff that spilled into the room.
The floor was covered with so much Stuff that Ziggy could barely reach his bed.
He had Too Much Stuff.
Ziggy galloped to the kitchen and whinnied (using his indoor whinny, of course):
“I have . . . TOO . . . MUCH . . . STUFF!”
Ziggy’s mom, Zelda, looked up from the spinach, carrot, and pea salad she was making and nodded, “Ziggy, I think you are starting to realize that sometimes less is more.”
Now, you might ask, “How can less ever be more?” And your best friend might say, “Less is less, and more is more.” And your next best friend might say, “I’m confused. Saying that less is more doesn’t make any sense.”
Well, let me try to explain.
When we have fewer things, we can appreciate what we have more easily because we don’t always have something else competing for our attention. We can focus on what we have without getting distracted by something else.
Does that make sense?
If it doesn’t make sense yet, maybe it will by the time you finish this book. So, let’s get back to the story . . .
“Well, Ziggy, what should you do about all that Stuff?”
Ziggy . . . Artwork by Jan Philpot
Ziggy looked thoughtful as he pondered his mother’s question.
His forehead got all scrunchy looking, and his ears flared out to the side.
He thought about having Too Much Stuff, and wondered what his mother meant when she said, “sometimes, less is more.”
Zelda waited, giving Ziggy time to think.
After a few minutes, Ziggy’s ears relaxed into their normal upright and locked position. ”Maybe I can sell some Stuff and use the money to buy something I really want.”
He cocked his head to the side to see what his mother thought of the idea.
Zelda smiled, “That’s a zebra-tastic idea, Ziggy! Where will you sell it?”
Ziggy thought a moment more, then his face lit up with a huge grin. “I know, I’ll have a yard sale and sell all the Stuff I don’t play with any more.”
Zelda beamed with pride at her son’s solution to his problem of Too Much Stuff.
“That sounds like an excellent solution to your problem, Ziggy. And you thought of it all by yourself. Good for you.”
Aah . . . that’s better!
Smile . . . For No Good Reason January 30, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Life Balance, Mindfulness, Simplify Your Life.Tags: Anger, Attitude, Happiness, Life Balance, Mindfulness
31 comments
A brief excerpt from Smile for No Good Reason by Dr. Lee Jampolsky:
We have all experienced what it is like to be having a perfectly fine day and have a situation or crisis arise that sends us into a tailspin. It may be something small like a traffic jam making us late, or something more severe like the loss of a job. Our response can seem automatic.
Though at first it may be difficult to accept, freedom depends on recognizing that you’re not upset because of what occurred, you are upset because of how you perceive the situation.
* * * * *
Let’s imagine that you have a favorite coffeehouse that you frequent. The staff knows your name and always has a warm and friendly greeting as you walk through the door.
An extremely grumpy woman whom you have never seen before serves you this particular morning. She appears preoccupied rather than caring about you or what she is doing. As she pours your hot coffee a good portion spills in your lap. Despite your jumping in shock, no apology follows.
Your experience is anger: both toward the waitress and the owner, Joe, for hiring such an incompetent person.
Then, a friend of yours at the next booth says, “Isn’t it great that Joe hired her!”
“Great! Are you out of your mind? She just spilled hot coffee in my lap and walked away,” you reply with your best indignant voice.
“Oh, you didn’t hear the story?” your friend whispers.
“What story?” you angrily reply, still drying off your new slacks, wondering how you will go through the day looking as though you wet your pants.
“Yeah, Joe didn’t know her from Adam. He read in the paper that her husband had died last month in a car accident. Apparently her husband’s health insurance stopped, and she was looking for another job in order to pay for her sixteen-year old son’s chemotherapy for leukemia,” your friend responds.
Now, you still have hot coffee in your crotch, but are you still angry?
Unlikely.
The only thing that shifted was your perception and attitude. Through discovering a reason to be compassionate, your entire experience changed.
When you are upset remind yourself the cause of your discomfort is your own attitude. This is freedom.
Aah . . . that’s better!
To read more and for ordering information: Smile for No Good Reason by Dr. Lee Jampolsky
Remember: How you relate to the issue IS the issue.
Red Bubble . . . for the Artist in You January 7, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Art & Photography, Bulletin Board, Simplify Your Life.Tags: Galleries, Photograph, Photography, Red Bubble, RedBubble
51 comments
Have you ever toyed with the idea of selling your photographs or paintings on-line to finance your chocolate addiction or shoe collection?
Setting up a Virtual Art Gallery is less of a risk than opening a store in Soho or Mayfair, but it still requires time, effort, and commitment to create a website, advertise, deal with customers, take orders, prepare inventory, deal with customers, process orders, pack orders, track orders, deal with customers, ship orders, keep the books, deal with customers, maintain tax records, etc.
Did I mention it takes time, effort, planning, and commitment?
What if you could upload digital images of your work to a site that takes care of all those mundane details for you . . . leaving you free to “just be”?
You can!
Paula (Reflections From A Cloudy Mirror and Reflected Glory) set up a Virtual Photography Studio on Red Bubble a few months back to sell her photos as t-shirts, posters, stickers, hoodies, greeting cards, and prints.
Soon, she and Ashley will be living the “high life” . . . near Asheville, NC.
Another blogging friend, Milka Pejovic, has her Virtual Gallery on Zazzle to sell nature photography as coasters, posters, mousepads, and calendars.
Like Red Bubble, you can set up shop on Zazzle for FREE.
Once you’ve set up your Virtual Shop . . . you can create and enjoy the fruits (and chocolates) of your creations while someone else packs, tracks and ships your wares.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Related articles
- NYCC 2012 – RedBubble Shows Off Their Wears (graphicpolicy.com)
Life Piles Up January 3, 2013
Posted by nrhatch in Life Balance, Mindfulness, Simplify Your Life.Tags: Distractions, Life Balance, Mindfulness, Simplify, Time
39 comments
Life piles up.
We must sort through the pile from time to time to identify priorities, dreams, hopes, and aspirations.
If we don’t clear out the clutter, the path becomes littered and overgrown with weeds.
Instead of seeing our way clear, distractions fill our field of vision.
Give the Universe room to work its magic.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Buy Less. Do More. November 8, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Home & Garden, Life Balance, Simplify Your Life.Tags: buyers remorse, Clutter, Life Lessons, Mindfulness, Simplify, Stuff
44 comments
My life, like most, has had ups and downs, good decisions and bad, and more than my fair share of mistakes and challenges.
But they all led to this door. So, no regrets.
Except one.
When I look at the collective accumulation of stuff in our living space and closets . . . I am filled to overflowing with ”buyer’s remorse.”
Not in specific. Just in general.
If I could go back and tell my younger self or a good friend just one thing, it would be:
Buy Less. Do More.
We travel best when we travel light. The best way to avoid clutter is not to purchase it in the first place.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Related Posts: Tell us something you’ve done that you would advise a friend never to do (WP Prompt) * Woman Found Dead Amid Clutter * CCD: Compulsive Clutter Disorder
* * * * *
Susanna posted the 8 Finalists from the Halloweensie Contest yesterday morning . . . and I’m in the running!
If you want to vote, click this link and Vote for your Favorite!
They’re all in one place . . . so it’s one stop shopping. No clicking back and forth between blogs. Simple, right? And nothing to clutter up your house! 
The Art of Living November 6, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Life Lessons, Mindfulness, Simplify Your Life.Tags: Compassion, Kindness, Lao-Tzu, Patience, Simple, Tao
28 comments
Source: Wikipedia ~ Lao Tzu
When asked about the art of living, Lao Tzu explained the Tao as follows:
I have just three things to teach:
* simplicity
* patience
* compassion
These three are your greatest treasures.
Source: Wikipedia ~ Tao
Simple in actions and in thoughts, you return to the source of being.
Patience with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world.
~ Lao Tzu
Tao Te Ching
Aah . . . that’s better!
The quieter you become the more you can hear. ~ Ram Dass
* * * * *
Susanna just posted the 8 Finalists from the Halloweensie Contest . . . and I’m in the running!
If you want to vote, click this link and Vote for your Favorite!
They’re all in one place . . . so it’s one stop shopping. No clicking back and forth between blogs. Simple, right? So it won’t test your patience.
Distilled Essence October 10, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Mindfulness, Simplify Your Life, Writing & Writers.Tags: Distill, Essence, Mindfulness, Simplify, Thoughts, Word Play
30 comments
When we create whiskey, maple syrup, perfume, and many other sauce reductions, we distill them down to the essence to concentrate the flavor.
The distillation process emphasizes the tastes and aromas.
The extraneous evaporates, leaving only the essential essence behind.
Less is more.
The same is true with our thoughts.
When we distill them down to the essence, we concentrate the flavors, textures, tastes, and aromas.
We let others read between the lines.
Quote: When we relinquish or renounce the extraneous, we are left with the essential, which cannot be lost. ~ Lama Surya Das
Aah . . . that’s better!
Which do you prefer . . . reading a treatise where everything is spelled out, often in excruciating detail? Or a more broadbrushed approach which challenges you to put on your thinking cap and think?
Thoughts on Shameless Self-Promotion October 7, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Blogs & Blogging, Simplify Your Life, Writing & Writers.Tags: Business, Marketing, Promotion, Writer, Writer Resources, Writing
41 comments
The key to successful Self~Promotion is NOT to promote your “Self.”
Instead, focus on how the buyer, customer, client, reader will BENEFIT from reading your book, attending your seminar, or stopping by your blog.
What’s in IT for them?
When you market that BENEFIT, you are not engaged in self-promotion . . . you are performing a generous and selfless act of service by bringing valuable information to their attention in a noisy and crowded marketplace.
Of course, if you can’t perceive a benefit to THEM, maybe you shouldn’t be selling IT at all.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Related posts: One Year Later ~ Self-Publishing Review (Christine M. Grote) * How to Promote Your Book For FREE (Global Mysteries) * How to Do an Author’s Book Event (Global Mysteries) * How to Make an E-Book Using Open Office
Grilled Cheese on Toscano Pano October 4, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Simplify Your Life, Vegetarian Recipes.Tags: Bread, Cheese, Food, Fresh Market, Grilled Cheese, Toscano Pano
22 comments
Simple Pleasures ARE Life’s Treasures . . . and food often tops the list!
Fresh Market’s Toscano Pano, a dense hearty Tuscany Bread, elevates the humble Grilled Cheese sandwich to waist-defying heights, especially when partnered with Seriously Sharp Vermont Cabot Cheddar.
Grated. Not sliced.
Here, we’ve added a crisp just-harvested Royal Gala Apple and Lay’s Classic Potato Chips to round out a lunch of Simple Pleasures and Treasures.
Aah . . . that’s better!
