Hanging out in Solvang CA with a Dutch Shoe

Summer’s here! This laid back season brings warmer weather, longer days, and of course vacations. I love to travel. Whether it’s a destination a few hours away from home or a locale on the other side of the globe, I love to get out and see the world.

Travel can be expensive if you’re not mindful of where your pennies are going. Many expenses such as transportation and lodging can’t be avoided. And of course we all have to eat and when in a new place, you of course want to sample the local cuisine. Checking out the local sights can also add up. What’s the point of traveling somewhere if you don’t pay to see what only that part of the world can offer?

Lots of good information can be found on the web about getting good deals on travel and how to see some really great places for as little money as possible. But what about souvenirs?

This is definitely one area that can either be completely avoided or where as little money as possible can be spent. Souvenirs are completely optional of course. No one is going to throw you out of the Louvre because you don’t buy anything from their souvenir shop.

Just to clarify, I don’t think of souvenirs as that gorgeous painting from a local artist that you decide to have shipped back home or the purchase of local wines, coffee, or chocolate. I don’t put those purchases in the same category as those useless little figurines, picture brochures, key chains, salt and pepper shakers, etc… we think we have to buy so we can remember our trip to Tokyo. These types of souvenirs add up and contribute to the clutter most of us constantly fight in our homes. We also have to lug souvenirs around in our luggage which can slow us down if you’re trying to travel light and free.

When I was in high school, I went to England shortly after Princess Diana got married. London was full of all things “Diana” and I did my part in contributing to the mania by buying Princess Diana picture books, dolls, plates and anything else I could get my hands on to commemorate my trip to London. Years later, I found all these items stored away in a chest. What was I thinking? I realized that any time I thought of my trip to England, I thought about the grandeur of Stonehenge, listening to the political debate in the Speaker’s Corner at Hyde Park, and touring Westminster Abbey. I thought of the picturesque little town of Bath, England and visiting the area of London where the Beatles once played. Never once did I reminisce about the Royal Wedding souvenirs I purchased with my hard earned babysitting money.

In my travels today, I no longer even waste my time going into those shops with all the little doo dads. No matter what part of the world you are visiting, most are made in China anyway. My digital camera creates my souvenirs. I take tons of pictures of places and things that I want to remember. The memories and experiences are more important to me and isn’t that why we travel in the first place? I know it’s why I love to travel.

As cold as it may seem, I very rarely shop for gifts for others when I visit a new place. I also don’t expect friends or family to bring me a souvenir spoon back from Bangkok or wherever it was they went. I would rather see pictures and hear about their trip because maybe one day I would like to visit there as well.

Of course, old habits do die hard for some people so if you are trying to get off the souvenir bandwagon, why not start slowly and collect matchbooks from the places you visit? If you go to a foreign country, why not bring back some postage stamps or save a few pieces of the local currency or coins? If you are used to collecting something from each trip at first it may seem strange to not come back with a bagful of useless novelties. I guarantee however that you’ll have a wonderful trip anyway. Your memories will be just as vivid without all the useless trinkets. You may even find that you have an even richer experience because you ‘re out there taking in more of your surroundings and not wasting precious time in the souvenir shop.

(If you’d like to read more about changing the way you think about wealth please consider reading my book REDEFINING THE MEANING OF WEALTH: DISCOVERING PROSPERITY AND FORTUNE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE.)

I recently saw the movie Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps on DVD. Oliver Stone does a superb job in presenting an inside look at how Wall Street works and the personalities of the top players who make up this world. When his first film Wall Street came out in the late 80s, a whole generation of investors must have been inspired by the movie’s famous quote “Greed is good” given the way many banks and investment firms ended up practically destroying our economy.

This time around however, the quote that takes center stage is a far cry from anything having to do with the relentless pursuit of money at any cost. The main character, Gordon Gekko, has supposedly evolved a bit. After serving 23 years in jail for a very serious Securities and Exchange Commission violation, he is now singing a different tune and states, “If there’s one thing I learned in prison, it’s that money is not the prime commodity in our lives…time is.”

I like this quote. I like it a lot. In the last several years I have become a big believer in just how valuable time is in our fast paced chaotic modern world. There are many forms of wealth that have nothing to do with money or material possessions and time is definitely one of those. While our capitalistic culture continues to bombard us with messages of how we need more material possessions in order to be happy, let’s flip that message around and replace it with time.

One can have all the money in the world but if you don’t have time to live life, then what good is all that money? Many of us though can’t seem to find enough time in our day to spend time with those we love or do the things that nurture our souls. What to do, huh? Baby steps are one way to reclaim this priceless asset. Start out by finding one hour a day that belongs completely to you to do whatever it is that suits your fancy.

Get clear on what you want more time for and you will find it easier to motivate yourself to find that extra hour. I love yoga and it’s important for me to find the time to take a class each day or practice on my own. Yoga makes me feel better and it replenishes me spiritually. Knowing these rewards await me, I’m more apt to find the extra time each day even if it means something else gets pushed to the backburner.

Turn off the TV. Unless spending more time in front of the boob tube is one of your life’s main ambitions, I can’t stress how important this is if you want more time in your life. Watching TV can be a major time killer if you’re not careful. Not being a cable subscriber has been one of the best decisions my husband I have ever made. We save money and time. That extra time is put towards being together more and participating in the activities we enjoy doing.

Get up an hour earlier. I’m not going to lie to you and say I’m up at the crack of dawn every morning raring to go. Like a lot of people, I find it hard to drag myself out of bed each day but I make myself do it. Very seldom do I sleep past 7am because if I allow myself to do so then I run the risk of never getting up. I love the time I spend with myself first thing in the morning. I brew a cup of coffee, feed the cats and take a few seconds to walk out on my front porch and breathe in the morning air.

Downsize your expectations. We can only do so much and not everything we do has to be perfect. Perhaps your house may not be as clean as you like or not every item on your “to do” list will always get done. By cutting yourself some slack and lowering your standards a bit, you can free up some time to do something more exciting.

Learn to say no to those things you don’t want to do. We don’t have to accept every social invitation, volunteer for every event that comes our way, or constantly be available to people who suck the life out of us. Use discretion in how you spend your free time and don’t over commit. Saying no takes practice but freeing up your schedule by giving yourself more time is oh so worth it. Time is definitely a prime commodity but Wall Street doesn’t sell it. You have to create it for yourself.

Every Friday is “Friday Fun Day” and I post a website, quote, recipe, or story that relates to simple and minimalist living. Sometimes I just post something fun and inspiring!

Don’t you love friends who bake? Better yet, friends who share their baking with you. I have a friend who is a wonderful baker and very generous with sharing her creations with me.

Not too long ago she knocked on my door and delivered the most wonderful vegan bread. Once you get the hang of it, vegan cooking can be simple not to mention extremely healthy. The bread was so delicious I asked her to share the recipe with me. If you’re interested in trying vegan cooking but don’t know how to get started, this recipe is easy and tasty.

My friend wanted to give credit where credit was due so she told me that she found this fabulous recipe on Joy the Baker’s blog. She did a bit of modification and halved the recipe and used sweet potato instead of pumpkin (didn’t take as long to bake- watch at 45-50 min and see if you need more time).  She also added a few dried cranberries and molasses and honey in place of the maple syrup (just because she didn’t have any syrup in her house).

Below is the recipe. Enjoy!

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour ( or whole wheat flour… or just use only all-purpose flour)

2 cups light brown sugar, packed

1/3 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree, or just under two cups

1 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup water

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place a rack in the center of the oven.  Grease and flour two loaf pans (mine are 8×4×2) and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.

In a medium bowl, carefully whisk together pumpkin puree, oil, maple syrup and water.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a spatula to fold all of the ingredients together.  Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl well, finding any stray flour bits to mix in.  Fold in most of the chopped walnuts, reserving some to sprinkle on top of the batter once in the pan.

Divide the dough between the two greased pans and sprinkle with a few walnut pieces.  Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from the oven.  Let rest in the pans for 20 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack.

Serve warm.  Maybe even wrap one loaf up in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for future munching.

My mother's simple yet elegant Christmas dinner table

As a young girl I loved reading the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I was especially fascinated by how they simply yet joyously celebrated Christmas each year. Their financial resources may have been limited but that didn’t stop them from celebrating to the fullest. The Ingalls didn’t spend weeks shopping for gifts for each other or planning the perfect holiday soiree. They focused more on spending time together and participating in fun frugal activities like baking gingerbread and making cranberry and popcorn chains to trim the tree. The family would gather around the fireside and read the Christmas story from the Bible. Gifts for the children were stockings stuffed with an orange, hard candy, and maybe a special doll or toy.

The simplicity of a prairie Christmas is still appealing to me as an adult. I may not be able to emulate the exact way the Ingalls celebrated the holidays but I can come up with my own version of a simple Christmas. Too much pressure is put on us to have the perfect holiday festivities and buy the perfect gifts. Trying to meet these expectations takes the fun out of Christmas for me and makes the season seem superficial and sacrilegious.

Simplifying the holiday is a process. Each year you better figure out what are the most meaningful activities and rituals you cherish most. You might find that cooking is where you want to put your energy or you may decide that going all out with decorating your home is what you enjoy best. Simplifying is not about deprivation but keeping those traditions that enhance and make the holiday season most meaningful to you.

Keep in mind that many people may not understand your desire to simplify the holidays. Many people are used to the commercialized way of celebrating and are not going to understand for example why you no longer display the blow-up Snow Man on your front lawn. But that’s ok because there’s nothing simple about trying to pressure others to conform to your ways. People will change when they are ready if they ever change at all. For those of us who want to simplify the holiday season, the best we can do is come up with what works best for us. If they follow-great! If not, then we can hope we lead by example.

Several years ago when I first began my quest to get away from the material aspects of Christmas and focus on the true meaning of the season, I was met with a bit of resistance. For example some of my friends and family wanted to continue with gift exchanges so I suggested we set a limit on what we spent. The next year I suggested consumable gifts or gift cards. Eventually some were even game to opt out of gift exchanges altogether. Instead we would spend time together at a local restaurant or going to a special event. I think people were actually relieved to have one less gift to buy. I’m not completely against gift giving and I think people give gifts with the best of intentions. However, I now feel that I have enough of everything I could possibly ever want and spending money just to spend money does no one good in the long run. I now take the money I would have spent on gifts and give it to those in need.

I’m not going to give you a list of what you should do to simplify the holidays because I don’t know everyone’s individual situations. My husband and I don’t have children so obviously our holiday will be celebrated quite differently than someone who has three kids who are anxiously awaiting Santa’s arrival. Below are some of the things we do in our household to simplify the holidays and enjoy them to the max. I’d be interested to hear what you are doing this year to simplify so please feel free to share.

• My husband and I do not exchange gifts. Since we travel to see family every year at Christmas, we spend our money on airline fare and eating out at good restaurants. This year we travel to Baton Rouge and we have many favorite eateries we will visit. New Orleans is not far away and their cuisine is some of the best in the world. We also go to Natchez, Mississippi for a few days-more wonderful southern food!
• We don’t exchange gifts with siblings or friends. We do however buy our parents a present and our young nieces and nephews a small gift like a book or some art supplies.
• I’m in charge of the decorations and I like to keep it very simple yet elegant. I hang a live green wreath with a big red bow on the front door and set out lots of red and white candles throughout the inside of our home. I take a large glass vase and fill it with some of my tree ornaments and place it in the middle of my dining room table surrounded by greenery. I would love to have a small tree but so would my feline companions!  Enough said, huh?
• Just because I don’t go all out with the decorations doesn’t mean I don’t love them. Since there are people far more talented than me when it comes to decorating, I prefer to go riding around the city and look at their creativity.
• I love Christmas music and play it around the house and in the car from Thanksgiving until New Years. Mannheim Steamroller’s Christmas collection is my favorite.
• We no longer send out Christmas cards. I do love them but my husband and I have become more concerned in the past few years about our environmental footprint so we choose to forego them.
• We make a donation every year to our favorite charity. I get the most reward from this because this is what the season is all about!

Beautiful Fall Day in Japan

A hug is a great gift – one size fits all, and it’s easy to exchange.  ~Author Unknown

Time flies! Can you believe it’s almost Thanksgiving? Black Friday, that day following Thanksgiving when US shoppers officially begin their Christmas shopping is also just around the corner. Shopping the day after Thanksgiving has never been my scene not to mention getting up at 5am to stand in line for a deal on a flat screen TV is not my idea of a day off. Plus I really don’t think Christmas is about shopping till you drop.

There’s nothing simple about shopping for the sake of shopping. Just because advertisers tell us this is the day to shop doesn’t mean we have to. We can create our own traditions that have nothing to do with excessive consumerism and spending money on items we or our loved ones don’t really want or need. For those of you like me who prefer to do something a little more creative, a little more fun, and a little more relaxing, check out my 21 Black Friday alternatives below. And of course please feel free to add any others you might have as well.

1. Volunteer. Although most of us don’t have to work the Friday following Thanksgiving there are many places that are open such as hospitals, homeless shelters, animal shelters, etc… and they would welcome your help.
2. Sleep In. Most of us have the day off so why not sleep in a few extra hours. What luxury, huh?
3. Make Friday a movie day and watch some movies you’ve wanted to see. If you plan ahead you can check out some DVDs from your local library or rent from Netflix or your local Redbox.
4. If the weather in your area allows it get out and enjoy the great outdoors. Take a hike or a bike ride.
5. Clean out a closet or drawer. Get rid of things you no longer need and start the holiday season feeling lighter and less burdened by material possessions.
6. Get out your holiday decorations and throw out any you no longer like or use. Keep those decorations you really love and begin your holiday decorating early. Make a special hot drink to enjoy while you “deck the halls.”
7. Read a book. Is there a book you’ve been dying to read but haven’t had the time? My favorites are mysteries and this is the perfect weekend for a “whodunit?”
8. Have a friend over for coffee and have a long leisurely visit. Catch up and laugh a lot.
9. Black Friday is a great day to start or finish an arts project. Do you like to knit, paint, or sew?
10. Get out the holiday music and start enjoying it. Before you know it the holidays will be over so why not enjoy all that beautiful music as much as you can. My favorite song is “Do you Hear What I Hear?”  and I can’t wait to start hearing it nonstop for 5 weeks straight. You think I’m kidding but I’m not. I love Christmas music!
11. Play board games with your family and/or friends.
12. Bake some more goodies. Tis the season for sweets and this time of year is a great excuse to indulge.
13. Write a letter to someone. There are still people out there who would love to receive a handwritten letter in the mail. I bet you know just the perfect person in your life who would appreciate this.
14. Play with your kids.
15. Play with your pets.
16. Write. Most of us have the writing bug at some time or another. Start that short story, poem, or novel that is just aching to be put down on paper.
17. Take a long soak in the bathtub.
18. Call a friend long distance and shoot the breeze.
19. Go introduce yourself to your neighbors if you’ve never met them.
20. Clean your house. Enjoy the rest of the weekend knowing your cleaning is done for the week.
21. Do nothing. Be spontaneous and enjoy not having to be anywhere.

I’m very excited to announce that my first book has been published. It’s called Redefining the Meaning of Wealth: Discovering Prosperity and Fortune in the Unemployment Line.

This book was inspired when I lost my job as an executive assistant due to the 2008 economic downturn. Deciding it was high time to change my beliefs about what it meant to be wealthy, I began to seriously contemplate what wealth meant to me. I started to write it all down and as a result Redefining the Meaning of Wealth: Discovering Prosperity and Fortune in the Unemployment Line was born.

Thinking about wealth in a whole different way was so exciting to me that I also started this blog while simultaneously writing my book. That said, my book’s content is not a compilation of blog posts nor is it a traditional self help book. It is the musings of an ordinary person (me) learning extra-ordinary ways to experience wealth in a culture addicted to chasing the bottom line.

I open with my story of surviving unemployment, dealing with income loss, and pondering what the heck do I do next? The chapters that follow feature cheerful yet thought provoking essays such as “Luxuries we take for Granted,” Quality vs. Quantity,” and “Redesigning the American Dream.” I talk about the new “wealth” consciousness that starts to emerge inside of me and the questions that arise from the status-quo beliefs I had been taught. Do I really need to own a home to experience the American Dream? How much more “stuff” do I need when my closet is already overflowing with items I never use?

As I looked for ways to add value to my spirit instead of my bank account, I realized what I yearned for was not money. A sense of significance and purpose in my life, meaningful work, and an investment in unique experiences were what appealed to me.

Writing this book was quite the project and there were many snags in the road. I had no idea what I was getting myself involved with when I started on this adventure but like all things in life it has been a great learning experience. It feels good to have completed such a huge task but to be honest it’s a bit scary as well. Writing a book so personal makes you vulnerable to all kinds of criticism but it also gives you the opportunity to reach out and share.

Although society disproportionately still values money too much, I do believe that’s about to change. People are hungry for a more nourishing notion of wealth. I strongly believe a major realignment is beginning in our culture and we are on the cusp of a paradigm shift. Time, freedom, and joy are now in demand. Exchanges of ideas are already beginning to take place, and the thoughts I share in my book are a contribution to that dialogue.

My hope is that the experiences I share will resonate with others and inspire them to start thinking about wealth in whole new light. Sharing is so important. Not just sharing material resources but sharing our thoughts and feelings with each other as well. Only then can we genuinely connect and realize that although we all have differing experiences and viewpoints, at our cores we are all basically the same.

My book is available on Amazon and you can read an excerpt by going to the following link:

Redefining the Meaning of Wealth: Discovering Prosperity and Fortune in the Unemployment Line

Simply click on the “search inside the book” feature and check out a few of my chapters. In addition to hard copy, my book is also available in e-book form on Kindle.

I’m a big fan of e-books because they are environmentally friendly and they keep the clutter at bay! In case you are not aware of it, Amazon has a free kindle you can download. It’s a great way to experience an e-reader if you can’t or don’t want to invest in one at this point.

Free Amazon Kindle

Thanks for letting me share my new book with you today. I hope you will read it and let me know what you think about it.

Wishing you prosperity, peace, and happiness always!

Paige

Every Friday is “Friday Fun Day” and I post a website, quote, recipe, or story that relates to simple and minimalist living. Sometimes I just post something fun and inspiring!

Welcome to “Friday Fun Day.” As I mentioned above, going forward I will be posting something short yet fun on Fridays. Although I have never been one to advocate that we live our lives waiting for Friday to come, there is something special about the day. It’s the time that most of us take a deep breath after a long week of working hard and look forward to weekend fun.

Also, as a side note, you may notice the icon for my new book on the side of this site. I will be writing about this on Monday. But back to Friday Fun Day…..

This Friday Fun Day, I offer you a simple yet scrumptious vegetarian recipe that’s also easy on the pocket book. It’s called Santa Fe Soup. I can’t take credit for this because my mother gave me this recipe. The weather is turning cooler and most or our appetites are craving something heartier and this is the perfect dish to appease those cravings. You can also freeze this soup easily.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of crumbled Boca Burger

1 onion chopped

1 can of Black Beans (16oz)

1 can of Pinto Beans (16oz)

1 can of Kidney Beans (16 oz)

2 cans of white corn (16 oz)

1 can of Rotel tomatoes (16 oz)

1 can of crushed tomatoes (16 oz)

2 packages of Ranch dressing mix

2 packages of taco seasoning

Directions:

Brown Boca Beef and onion on top of the stove

Stir in Ranch mixes, taco mixes, beans, and tomatoes (don’t drain the beans or tomatoes as this makes the soup)

Add 2 cups of water

Simmer at least two hours

You can garnish this soup with tofu sour cream and green onions. I also like to serve it with cornbread. This recipe is simple, easy, tasty, and healthy!

Bon appétit!

Fall Leaves in Nikko, Japan

Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves.  ~Edwin Way Teale

No matter how much we simplify our outer lives what good is it if we don’t have inner simplicity? All of the physical steps we take to simplify our lives are important but they don’t automatically guarantee inner solitude.  A de-cluttered home and debt free finances are great but if we feel all chaotic inside then we are missing out on peace and tranquility which is the main reason most of us simplify in the first place.

Achieving inner simplicity takes work but it’s enjoyable work if you do it right. I don’t claim to be an expert on achieving inner peace but I can offer a few suggestions on some things that are working for me. I hope you find them helpful and share any suggestions you may have as well.

Spend some time each day in prayer and/or meditation. Countless studies have shown that people who pray and mediate on a daily basis have better health, lower stress levels and experience more happiness. I do yoga almost every day and I consider it to be mediation in motion. This works great for my very busy mind because I have not yet mastered meditating by sitting still. I also have several prayers that I say throughout the day that give me comfort and peace.

Engage in exercise you enjoy. You won’t ever find me in a gym or lifting weights. It’s simply not my thing. Where you will find me is in a yoga studio or on a hiking trail. I now only participate in exercise that I like and that makes me feel good about myself. The byproduct is I feel great and I’m healthier than ever. Just because I don’t dig gyms or weights doesn’t mean they are not valid. The point is to do what you enjoy. Exercise is important to our inner and outer well being so your chances of sticking with it are better if you like what you’re doing.

Take a walk. I try to take a walk almost every day. Getting out in the fresh air even if only for 15 minutes does me a world of good. Some people argue that they don’t have time to take a walk each day but I challenge you to find a few minutes each day to go outside and enjoy the outdoors. Give up watching the news when you get home or use the last 10 minutes of your lunch hour to stroll around your office park. Don’t set yourself up for failure with an overly ambitious time schedule. Start small and then go from there.

Get plenty of sleep. Each of us has different needs. I feel best with 7-8 hours per night. Any less and I can really start to drag. Find the right amount for you and do your best to get that time each and every night. The quality of your life will drastically improve.

Quit worrying excessively about money. There’s nothing that interferes more with our inner peace of mind than worrying about money. If you are paying your bills and are out of debt or working on a plan to get out of debt then let go a little. If you study the history of banking and fiat currencies, you will discover that unless you are a member of the banking elite much about money is out of our control anyway. Even if every currency in the world fell tomorrow, there would still be natural resources, knowledge, labor, and new ideas. Money is just an idea and an idea that we sometimes give way too much power to. Concentrate on inner abundance and not how many zeros are on your bank ledger.

Limit your media intake. I like to keep up with current events as much as the next person but there are so many media outlets completing for my attention that it makes my head spin. Much of journalism today is not really journalism nor is it investigative in any way. Sadly, too many of the mainstream media outlets first priority is to their shareholders and not their viewers. They meet their monetary obligations to their shareholders by having good ratings.  Fear and sensationalism help them to accomplish this. Keep this in mind the next time you get all worked up about some story that has absolutely no effect on your life at all.

Quit engaging in non-productive political arguments. I used to love to discuss politics until I had the enormous epiphany that I would never change anyone’s mind. I can’t speak for other countries but politics in the US has become like a sporting event and a very bad event at that! Very few people are interested in meaningful dialogue because so many just want to win an argument at any cost. I now carefully choose who I discuss this volatile subject with and make sure the person is interested in a civil exchange of ideas and not a reenactment of a Fox News or MSNBC roundtable showdown whose only goal is to bring in money for their corporate sponsors.

Give yourself a set period of time to do nothing each week. Ideally, I would love to give myself one day a week to do nothing but often I have to settle for a half-day on the weekends. When I say do nothing I don’t mean I sit on my couch staring into space. Nothing for me means not having any set plans. I take it as it comes and do what suits my fancy. Sometimes I’ll read a book or watch a documentary. Other times I will play with my cats.

The Sacred Bridge in Nikko Japan

I’ve been reading a lot lately about digital sabbaticals. Always on the quest to simplify my life, this concept was of particular interest to me even though I had never heard of it before much less experienced one. What exactly is a digital sabbatical? A digital sabbatical is dedicating one day or more to being away from any of your on-line activities. That includes e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, message boards, and anything else that the wonderful world of on-line bliss provides for us.

I’m a very “wired in” kind of gal. I love technology and am constantly in wonderment of it, but like everything in life, balance is the key. Until last week I had no clue as to the extent I was addicted to spending time on-line. What prompted this epiphany for me? A yoga retreat to Nikko, Japan! Thanks to my  husband who held the animal fort down while I was away, I had the good fortune to spend a week in this beautiful town located in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan about 90 miles north of Tokyo.

I had a fantastic experience that will live forever in my heart. The Japanese are some of the most gracious people on the planet. I also admired their minimalistic décor and spirit of community. You can bet you will be hearing more from me in the months ahead about this beautiful country and its even more beautiful people.

But back to the business of taking digital breaks. When I arrived in Japan, the first thing to go was the cell phone. My carrier had told me that phone calls would be $2.40 a minute and even worse, I ran the risk of being charged up to $30 a pop each time my internet service ran updates. Needless to say, I figured it best to just not turn the dang thing on. At first this was weird because with the exception of yoga classes, I’m used to having my cell phone on pretty much all the time. Imagine the culture shock when I arrived at the train station in Nikko and had to call the hotel using a pay phone. I’m surprised I even found one but I did.

At the hotel, I quickly found out that internet service was available only in the lobby. Since I didn’t travel over 5,000 miles to spend the majority of my time hanging out in a hotel lobby, I decided then and there to unplug from the on-line world. My only exceptions to this rule were e-mailing my husband a few times to assure him I was still safe and sound and scheduling my last blog posting I wrote on the plane for later in the week.

I had planned to blog several times from Japan and check in on all my favorite sites as well. I was going to keep up with the political buzz as we moved into the 2010 midterm elections. Posting beautiful pictures from Japan on Facebook and tweeting about my adventures was also on my agenda. I did none of these things. Instead I excused myself from cyber space and hiked, visited old Buddhist temples, and attended other fun activities like a Japanese tea ceremony. Oh and I did tons of yoga as well. I made lots of friends and I laughed a lot.

I arrived back in LA on Halloween, just in time for my husband and me to celebrate in our usual fashion. Monday rolled around and I still wasn’t ready to jump full speed back into all that was digital so I took it easy for a few more days. It was a much needed fabulous break.

I’m now inspired to take a day or two off every so now and then. It’s great for the soul and great for the psyche. You don’t have journey to a faraway location to un-plug. One can do it right where they are. If you haven’t had a full day of a digital sabbatical in quite some time, I encourage you to go ahead and try it. You will survive. I promise. As a matter of fact you will survive quite nicely. I know I did!

My simple Halloween Decorations (that's Georgie the cat in the picture as well)

I love Halloween. Some of my best memories as a child come from dressing up and trick or treating around the neighborhood. My brothers and I would eat endless amounts of sweets and scare ourselves silly with spooky stories. It was a simple holiday yet rich in quality. Fall was in full swing and the autumn colors were at their most vibrant. The weather was just right – not too cold and not too hot. Halloween was the perfect combination of scariness, creativity, and fun.

I don’t remember spending weeks preparing for Halloween or spending tons of money on costumes or parties. Halloween was all about make believe and celebrating that part of ourselves that was adventurous and daring. It was the perfect escape from our day to day lives. I would usually dress up as a gypsy and wear one of my long maxi dresses and adorn myself with numerous necklaces, bracelets and rings. It was the one night I could wear tons of my mother’s blue and green eye shadow and actually go out. Our church would have a carnival the week of Halloween as well and I could wear my homemade costume in public one more time. Creativity and spontaneity were the name of the game and “anything goes” was the rule.

As an adult I still look forward to Halloween and the romantic cozy mood it creates. I especially love the pumpkins and all the treats associated with them. Once Halloween is here, I know it’s going to be a fast but fun ride through the remainder of the fall season. Before I know it, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s make their appearance and the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is in full swing. Halloween is the calm before the storm. It’s the prelude to non-stop busyness and planning.

Don’t get me wrong, I love all these holidays but they can at times get complicated and hectic. With Halloween, the day just shows up and we enjoy it. We may have planned a little bit in the weeks ahead by thinking about our costumes and stocking up on candy. Sometimes a party is planned or scary movies or lined up but that’s about it. I’ll admit Halloween has become much more commercialized in the previous years but it’s still fairly low key compared to the other holidays. I think its simplicity is why it’s so popular. There’s little pressure to have the perfect Halloween and we all do what makes us happiest.

My husband and I watch scary movies every Halloween and hand out candy to the neighborhood trick or treaters. Our living room is illuminated with all kinds of candles to create that spooky eerie feeling we love to scare ourselves with. I make brownies and we eat sweet tarts and smarties. Sometimes we’ll have friends over and sometimes we’ll spend the evening alone. I’m too big to go trick or treating now but I still do so in spirit. I love knowing that some young girl out there is all dressed up in her mother’s make-up and jewelry and creating memories that will last a lifetime. She will grow up to be big one day and another young girl will take her place. The wheels of life keep turning. Long live Halloween!