A Simple Universe
Henry David Thoreau
wasn’t designing inspirational
jewelry when he
wrote the following words,
but he might well have
been for the number of
times I have seen the
phrase repeated on bracelets,
necklaces and a full
variety of T-shirts, coffee
cups, magnets and other
vessels for slogans:
Go confidently in the direction
of your dreams! Live
the life you’ve imagined.
See there, that’s all there
is to it. Confidence. How do
you live the life of your
dreams? You just live it.
Okay, class over. We can all
go home now and start living
the life of our dreams.
But wait, there is actually
more to that line than
that. Thoreau followed up
with:
As you simplify your life,
the laws of the universe
will be simpler; solitude
will not be solitude, poverty
will not be poverty, nor
weakness weakness.*
In other words, you will
stop leading a ``life of quiet
desperation.’’ Your perspective
shifts. Pretty sweet.
*For my literary stickler
friends, the oft-repeated
lines above are actually
paraphrased from Thoreau’s
``Walden,’’ in which he
wrote: ``I learned this, at
least, by my experiment;
that if one advances confidently
in the direction of
his dreams, and endeavors
to live the life which he has
imagined, he will meet with
a success unexpected in
common hours. . . . In proportion
as he simplifies his
life, the laws of the universe
will appear less complex,
and solitude will not be solitude,
nor poverty poverty,
nor weakness weakness.’’
Since I started my bid to
become more mindful and
create a more mindful family
at the beginning of January,
my success has been
mixed, to say the least.
On one hand, I have
been more aware of some
things, both good and bad. I
have beená a bit more intentional
and more assertive
in how I spend my time.
And at least once a week -
usually on deadline - I take
time to think about howá
I’m doing on the mindfulness
front. But I have failed
to fully understand and
implement those wise
words of Thoreau’s.
In proportion as he simplifies
his life, the laws of
the universe will appear
less complex.
My tendency, even when
attempting to simplify, is to
complicate.
We begin to plan our
garden, one of the most basic,
primal and simple human
endeavors imaginable.
We plant food, we grow
food, we eat food. It’s simple.
But like a drunken monkey,
my mind works hard
to complicate it. ``Who needs
a nice little vegetable garden
when we could fully
landscape an acre or two
with a combination of vegetables,
flowers, fruit trees.
Hey, how about a boxwood
maze for the kids?’’
Suddenly, I am too tired
to garden, and we have not
yet set the first plant into
the ground.
I could supply dozens of
other examples, but I don’t
need to.
Thoreau was right. He
should also have added that
in proportion as you complicate
your life, the laws of
the universe will appear
more complicated.
Based on the Byzantine,
indecipherable appearance
of the universe from where
I stand, it’s clear I need to
make much, much bigger
steps toward simplification.
Like Thoreau, I’m going
to start with simplifying
my surroundings. Hello, EBay.
Hello Freecycle. For
those of you who know
where I live, this means
quality goods will be making
a regular appearance at
the curb by the mailbox.
Enjoy.
I’ll also be looking for
other things I can get rid of.
Are there commitments
that complicate rather than
simplify my life? Are there
habits, attitudes and diversions
that make life more
indecipherable?
I’m sure there are.
This mindfulness thing
isn’t as easy as keeping a
promise to recycle more and
start a compost heap. But
the reward for the hard
work is living the life you
have imagined.
Elizabeth Trever Buchinger
is going forward with
confidence. You can connect
with her at www.moremindfulfamily.
wordpress.com
Columns
This wonderful life
- Columns
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Local Voices From Around the Globe: Mother's visit was a benchmark for this year
Last week, my mother made the 25-hour plane trip out to Thailand to visit her son, me, after nine months of having only choppy Skype sessions and scattered emails to give her an idea of what I look and act like since having left home last August.
Continued ... -
Local Voices From Around the Globe: World traveler calls Euro-Tour experience of a lifetime
While I've had a great time throughout my entire exchange, I can say hands down that the month of April brought me the best memories of my exchange if not some of the best of my entire life. What kind of wonder would bring me to say this? Simple. Euro-Tour.
Continued ... -
Maryland port attacked
Havre de Grace, May 3. "This morning, a little after the break of day, a British armed force, under cover of armed vessels which anchored in front of this town ... landed below a small breast work which had been roughly thrown up, and in which were one 9 and two 4 pounders, manned by 50 militia.
Continued ... -
Memoir reflects on 'roller-coaster life and career'
Apparently, the third time wasn't the charm. The way Reynolds described him, the third husband was worse than the first two combined and that's saying a lot. Eddie Fisher literally walked away from Reynolds and their two infant children to chase a sex goddess. At least he got his just desserts when Elizabeth Taylor tossed him aside for Richard Burton.
Continued ... -
Imagine what might have been ...
A while back we got a telephone call from a reader of this column wanting to know why we had not written a column in support of Otsego Manor continuing to be owned and operated by Otsego County. And even though we have followed the debate over this issue in the newspaper, we readily admitted we did not feel we knew enough about the situation to take a stand.
Continued ... -
Herpes virus brings harness racing to a halt
I've been going to harness horse race tracks my entire life. My family has been in the business for years.
Continued ... -
Time, if not traffic, moves on ...
It is with sadness we note the passing of two people who we have known since moving to Cooperstown in 1982.
Continued ... -
Canadian capital captured
Dear Sir, I have just returned from Fort Niagara, where I saw a Captain of the United States' navy. He is just from little York, the capital of Upper Canada, and gives the following account, which is confirmed in official dispatches from Gen. Dearborn to Gen. Lewis ...
Continued ... -
Local Voices From Around The Globe: Exchange is like a life in a year
All exchange students realize the credibility of this statement. Like all lives no exchange is the same, all are incredible unique exchanges. The metaphor of life, from baby to old age, extends to every part of the exchange.
Continued ... -
Movie depicting legendary Jackie Robinson does not disappoint
Going to the movies is not something I do often. I can count the number of times I have gone on my fingers, unless you include trips to the drive-in. And even so, it took me years before I made it to one of those -- going for the first time two summers ago.
Continued ... -
'Dubious' about weather, Hawkeyes 'suitable' nickname
Unfortunately, it seems to us that this spring has, thus far, been anything but spring like. In fact, we are still more than happy to stay bundled up in our polar fleece.
Continued ... -
'Who's on Worst?' reveals the ugly in baseball
The Baseball Hall of Fame celebrates the greatest players, managers and owners from our national pastime. Any of us who have watched Major League baseball have inevitably seen some of these immortals practicing their craft. But we have also likely witnessed a sample of their opposite brethren, players who shouldn't have been in the Major Leagues. Has there ever been a definitive source that "celebrates" the non-accomplishments of the worst that Major League baseball has to offer?
Continued ... -
Swallow talk and bluebird vigilance
I assume the swallows have returned to Capistrano. They have returned to Hawthorn Hill as well.
Continued ... -
Local Voices From Around the Globe: Life in Hungry has taken a turn for the better
I can truthfully say spring has finally arrived in Hungary. It's almost time to wear shorts and sandals, for summer will be just around the corner. This brings me great happiness and great sadness, my adventure is coming to a close. Really what a time it was, I don't think I can compare it to anything else.
Continued ... -
The importance of speaking up ...
Over the years we have come to understand that, in writing a weekly column, it is not possible to always please everyone. And such was the case with our column that ran at the end of March in which we wrote about our experience as in inpatient following a total hip replacement.
Continued ... -
Public schools created
The Common School Act of 1812 marked the start of New York's public school system. Much of the credit for this was due to the radical Otsego County politician Jedediah Peck (1747-1821). To quote the NY Education Department:
Continued ... -
Book takes readers on path for equal rights
One of the most troubling aspects of our history is race relations. It takes a long time to achieve true equality in a society when the heritage of one ethnic group is slavery and Jim Crow laws. Even today African Americans are more likely to be stereotyped as athletes than doctors, lawyers or entrepreneurs. The path to a "color-blind" nation is still a work in progress.
Continued ... -
Local Voices From Around the Globe: Experiencing India at every new turn
Come, sit down. Hold this and, wait ... ah, there you go. Obeying these commands, I found myself seated on the pavement, wearing a turban and attempting to make sounds out of a recorder-like instrument for the black cobras in the baskets not two feet away from me.
Continued ... -
Local Voices From Around the Globe: Will I be American or will I be Thai today?
When would someone have the ability to present themselves as a native of a country of their own choosing? When they’ve lived eight months as an exchange student, of course!
Continued ... - Second host family makes Hungary feel like home
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Local Voices From Around the Globe: Mother's visit was a benchmark for this year
