Simplicity! I’m becoming addicted to this idea (it’s a healthy addiction). I’ve cleared out my wardrobe and book shelf (more editing required) and now it’s time to clear out the rest! We are moving from our spacious apartment to a smaller garden cottage, this is a perfect opportunity to get rid of stuff! I would like to get rid of about 85% of our current stuff, my wife would probably not allow this to happen, but my personal stuff is going to be a lot less, this makes me happy:)

In the above doodle Schnozz is pretty content with hanging out with Speedy the Snail. You might wonder; why would anyone be so happy with a snail on his nose? I think Schnozz enjoys Speedy’s pace of living. Speedy, like all snails, takes life slowly and just lets things be things and lets life happen. I’ve heard many quotes against this philosophy; “Only dead fish go with the flow” was a quote I remember on the wall of my high school English class, I never liked that quote, probably because I disliked that teacher (she was a wench of a woman!) I prefer the Taoist principle of “being like water” which is a bit tricky to understand, I think it means to let your life flow on it’s course and adapt to it, like water will adapt to it’s environment, it’s a good idea to learn to adapt to changes in your life… I’m still practising!

Here are two things I’ve added to my practice routine so far:

I’ve realized that I can’t control the world: I can’t control how other people are or how the weather is going to turn out or… well… I can’t control anything for that matter! In a way this is a liberating realization; life takes its course and I’m along for the ride. I can learn to react to things in a way that benefits me.

I’m learning to take things slow: I need to eat slower, work slower, talk slower, drive slower, drink slower, walk slower… basically be like a snail! This modern world is so full of speed that it can be overwhelming. Technology has made everything faster, which causes the quality of products, services and life to become poor. My Grandfather used to tell me that in his day everything was of better quality because people took more time over things. I think I’ll start taking my time, this does not mean my productivity will go down; in fact it will get better!

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” - Lao Tzu