Zenhabits.net

One of my clients told me about a website that is changing my life. It's called zenhabits.net and it's a perfect companion to voluntary simplicity. It gives ideas on how to simplify your life in a beautiful way. For one thing, it puts a new spin on GTD, Getting Things Done by David Allen, which I've talked about. That's the idea of gathering all those "to dos" that are cycling through your mind on paper, turning them into physical actions and reviewing. While sounding simple, the system can get a little too daunting at times, so Zen Habits makes it even easier.

It also has articles on minimalist decorating with ideas like: clear the flat spaces -- put things away and rotate just a few things you love on table tops; eliminate things that you don't love or find useful; find a place for everything and store things there; declutter your kitchen counters, desktop and entryway. It's nothing new, but a slightly different, gentler approach.

I spent time yesterday helping C organize her music and books on tape. It was a kind of meditation, finding the cassettes and CDs that belonged in the right boxes, discarding broken CD cases and slipping the CDs into plastic sleeves in holders. Labeling shelves in her CD tower and sorting. We listened to music from Turkey while we worked and her cat joined us as an observer in a chair at the table. Much of the music will be burned into her music library and books on tape will be sold on craigslist.

C is a very talented children's book illustrator and she autographed one of her books for my grandson. It's a beautiful Christmas story and her orange cat makes an appearance. My reading to him from her book coaxed one of his brightest smiles. We're all still reveling in the success of his weekend lemonade stand (by invitation only to reduce the possibility of infections) which netted $26 for the Lymphoma Society.

Life is sweet.