Diamond-Cut Life

Earlier this week I posted my first ten tips for a simpler, happier life. This morning I got so enthused over my next five ideas (below) that I see they’re a long post by themselves. So, next week I’ll present Part III with my final five suggestions.

• Create no new debt. The most complicated my life ever got was when I was over my head in debt many years ago. My experience is that debt can make us crazy. Now I have no debt (even my student loans are all retired) and a much simpler, happier life. I suggest paying our way in the present for whatever we buy, and hanging out with people who support us in the lifestyle we can currently afford. Carrying only a debit card (no credit cards) can help. Some folks do well to operate only with cash. See How To Live Within Our Means.
• Spend leisure time in parks and libraries rather than shopping malls or movie theaters. Shopping malls overstimulate our desires and our spending, which make our lives more complicated. Sitting still in theaters understimulates our bodies, and encourages us to be passive spectators. Libraries, though, stimulate and develop our minds, and parks get us outdoors and moving around. Nature parks are my favorite; the beauty refreshes us and reminds us of a much grander picture than our day-to-day worries. I even had an exciting wildlife sighting at my local neighborhood park on Mount Tabor here in Portland.
• Get a smaller house or car. Naturally these are only options at certain points in our lives. But when moving or getting a different vehicle does come up, the choice we make is hugely impactful from then on out. Compact houses and vehicles save a great deal of money and carbon emissions over time. Large houses and vehicles, on the other hand, are like needy animals that demand lots of care and feeding, and their high ongoing costs can lock us into long hours of work we may resent. Thor and I have been happy with our car purchase, coming up on its first birthday with no repairs or problems.
• Make a practice of completions. Unfinished commitments and projects are a drain on our integrity and energy. Put their completion on your calendar the same as you would a medical appointment, and do whatever it takes to follow through. Sometimes it will take a series of those appointments to get it done. Other times the completion consists of honestly telling others you have to break or change the commitment, or abandon the project as not being realistic for you, after all. When I do completions I get an uptick of energy that often translates into more warmth toward others.
• Consider a vacation taking the train. This means slowing down and relaxing, since it will take a lot longer than the same trip via plane. But it’s part of the height of civilization to sit in the observation car, admire the passing scenery (much prettier than freeways offer), read, drink, and smooch with your sweetheart, all with no danger of an accident or a traffic ticket. I’ve enjoyed every trip I’ve ever taken on Amtrak, and train travel creates a fraction of the carbon footprint that plane travel creates.

Related Posts:

• Twenty Ways To A Simpler, Happier Life, Part III
• Staycations: The No-Cost Phone Visit Vs. The Thousand-Dollar Trip
• How To Change Things For The Greener, Anywhere