Rural Simplicity

What are you doing right now? Looking down maybe? I look down a lot during a days time. I find that most of the things that consist of a persons day require looking down these days... - computer work - computer play - eating - crossword puzzles - reading - changing a diaper - talking to children - weeding the garden - checking the oil in the car - writing a letter - cooking dinner - setting the table - helping with homework Have you looked up recently and realized how tight the muscles on your throat are? Try it, Sit up straight and then tip your head back and look at the ceiling. Close your mouth and feel the stretch on those muscles. I find that as our society races through life and finds new technology that we are folding in on ourselves. Literally. We are losing our good posture, our eye contact, and our ability to face life with head held high. We slouch, and slump. We let technology take care of it. We sit, or lounge, we stay indoors. We are folding ourselves ...

I find Spring to be very refreshing .  It makes me slow down ,  take time to do nothing, and remember to breath .  Breath in fresh air that smells like wet dirt and dormant grass. Breath in cold air and soak in warm sunshine that I haven't felt in months. I drool over every flower bouquet  in the grocery store, and get goosebumps from wearing short sleeves and sandals too soon. When the weather turns cold again for a day or two I grumble when I have to put "real" shoes back on.  Being outside makes us more thoughtful. It gives us more courage than sitting behind a desk, or ordering from our cars in the drive thru. Nature is full of reminders to be bold and outgoing. Spring is a time for reacquainting ourselves with friendliness. Many times retraining ourselves to be out-of-the-way kind and friendly.  A Bloom of Thoughtfulness It's sad the way our social world has become rude and unseeing to real people...

I have been in crazy-cat reading mode this winter and I've read a ridiculous amount of books. I would like to share my favorites with you here and encourage you to read some healthy books full of knowledge. A lot of people waste their time reading frivolous novels and filling their minds with unhealthy thoughts. But books can really get you thinking and can also encourage and uplift. My list consists of multiple different genres and reading levels so be prepared for  a little craziness! Biographies: Bonhoeffer-Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy ( Find it on Amazon ) [This is a big book - 542pages - but well worth the read. Written by New-York Times best selling author, Eric Metaxas about Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life duringWWII and attempts to stop Hitler.  It's not boring or boggy, it reads like an oversized novel.] Joni - An Unforgettable Story ( Find it on Amazon ) [The life story of Joni Eareckson Tada written by Joni. She is very open abou...