Yep, I look at these two books every morning! And when I say “read” I mean I turn to a random page each day and am beautifully reminded of the abundance of living simply and with gratitude. I’ve had these books for three years and never tire of reading these gems of wisdom from the author, Mina Parker. She interjects her thoughts with quotes including Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Gertrude Stein and others. Not only do I pause with each bit of daily wisdom, but the gorgeous photos, contributed by photographer Daniel Talbott serve to enhance the daily message in so many ways. I’m always smiling.
While I treasure the messages in these two books year-round, I truly believe the summer season gives me the gifts of “slow downing ” along with “reflecting” on how I am living my life. I do slow down and these short, lovely books help remind me of a gentler way of living.
Mina is a free-lance writer, editor and mom. Both she and Daniel live with their families in Brooklyn.
From a random page in Less Is More: Meditations on Simplicity, Balance, and Real Abundance
Less and More
“This proverb is one of my absolute favorites, and if I followed it to a tee there isn’t a doubt in my mind that I would be happier by leaps and bounds every day. The first is a biggie: fearing less. My fear is often linked to an out-of-control to-do list, one that’s so long it spreads onto bits of paper that travel from desk to purse to nightstand. Its unwieldiness makes me shrink just thinking about it, and I probably spend more time fretting about the list than accomplishing anything on it.
So I made a commitment to replace the fear and worry with a plan-I would do one task, or take one significant step toward completing a more complex task, every day. Just one. I immediately worried that one thing a day would never be enough, that the monster list would get even longer, but I resolved to stick with it and see what happened. I put the list in a drawer out of sight for the day and focused on the task, and it turns out that when I went back to the list before going to bed, I as able to cross of five things at a time-things I had managed to do on the side, as I went, without too much concentration or effort. What a wonderful feeling!”
Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours. — Swedish Proverb
Summary: Choose what you’re going to do less of today, and reap an unexpected reward of more.
From a random page in “Half Full: Meditations on Hope, Optimism, and the Things That Really Matter
Believe
“The world is full of inspirational stories about people who believed in things and made them happen, against all odds. People who started schools, who built businesses and won independence for their people-all they have in common is that they believed in a things. And we know in our bones that’s what made it happen.
I don’t think this means that everything will happen just as you think it will. This is belief on a different level-belief that goes inside out and head to toe. I’m not even sure our conscious mind has much to do with it. What you can do is try to remove the mental blocks we all put in the way of our own success. Put aside the fears and insecurities that keep you from giving over fully to your belief, and go for it.”
“The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen” — Frank Lloyd Wright
Summary — Bring belief without limitation into your life.
My days start off gently and introspectively each day when I spend 5 minutes with two random pages from these two books. It’s a gift I give myself each morning. I highly recommend gifting yourself with either or both books and they make wonderful gifts for others, especially those friends or family members who are seeking a more meaningful, simpler lifestyle.
Peace, Happiness and Simplicity!
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JUL
