Monday, December 18, 2006

The SKY is the limit...

Read the (below the dotted line) stuff from Steve Goodier (LifeSupport). Awesome. I couldn't agree with him more. (And not just because the core of the message is from Calvin) :-)

Whenever your mind wanders into the dark caves of materialistic desires, just do this....look up at the sky and smile! Irrespective of whether you are in the middle of a road with thousands of vehicles or in a forest full of trees....this simple act of looking up at the sky makes a lot of difference. It leaves you with the feeling that the natural world is oh so beautiful....no one needs anything else to enjoy life....it's all in the mind...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE SIMPLE DIFFERENCE - Steve Goodier

Calvin, of the "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip fame, once imparted some timeless wisdom: "If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night," he observed, "I'll bet they'd live a lot differently."


I believe he's right. Year by bewildering year, our world grows more complex. We crave peace within our souls. We long for simplicity in lives that too easily become inexplicably tangled in complicated webs.

David enjoyed the simple things of life. He sometimes took jobs at dude ranches, national parks and seasonal resorts. His brother, however, wanted to entice him to get a "real" job and live in a world surrounded by things that only money can buy. David's brother often sent him photos of himself enjoying the so-called "good life." He labeled his snapshots "My new sound system" or "My new car."

But the photos stopped arriving after David responded with a picture of his own. He sent his brother a large poster with a breathtaking view of Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park. On the back was David's message: "My back yard."

I believe I understand how David feels. "The Good Life" is not defined by possessions, but by pure and utter enjoyment of simplicity.

John Burroughs (1837-1921) put it like this: "To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter...to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring -- these are some of the rewards of the simple life."

Those who take time to find pleasure in the ordinary DO live differently. The simple difference is this: because they have learned to live simply, they have learned to live.

1 comment:

Raj said...

So True.

One can't even see a damned star in the night in the city these days!

Raj