less is more

This weekend I read an interesting piece in the SF Chronicle about the slow life movement and the so-called simplicity circles people are forming to downshift in their careers/lives, to live a little instead of work a lot. I feel this has been one of my running themes and I want to explore it more, because I too, feel pressured by the rat race of work, kids and a husband who works hard. One woman in the Chronicle article is putting half of her salary aside to retire early. Not everyone, most everyone cannot do that as I know that too many people live from paycheck to paycheck but I think that some of it can be done if we reassess our expenditures, the actual needs and reasons behind those expenditures and the waste of buying what we don't need to buy.

We adopted a mini dachshund puppy two weeks ago and through him, caring for him but above all, having him sleep in my lap, I have come to the wonderful revelation that this kind of quality time of sitting, being and reading was there all along but I did not take it because I did not have a baby in my lap who needed his sleep. We all need to nurse our time, the time we do get, as if it we had a little snuggly baby of a dog in our lap. Cheers to all of you who can live in the moment with or without a puppy ... I would like to hear from people out there who have managed to discover and apply the less is more lessons in their lives. Do share!