1 • A spiritual life is a life of calmness, of openness to mystery and beauty.
2 • Art emerges out of one’s inner life.
3 • Elements of a quality life: live simply, do quality work that is not rushed, avoid waste, live below your means and keep a reserve. Set aside a substantial portion of your time for leisure and silence. Adopt a thoughtful rhythm to your work and life.
4 • A close relationship with nature contributes joy and peace to a human life. Long, frequent walks in the woods bring serenity.
5 • Simple living enhances our awareness of, and openness to, the beauty of the natural world. Wisdom and simplicity are closely related.
6 • The path of joy is one of knowing who you are and living it. It requires befriending yourself.
7 • Everything worthwhile in life requires love, faith and imagination. Friendship, love, imagination, a spiritual life, a close connection to the natural world—all are mysterious and difficult to put into words.
8 • The processes of life co-exist with the processes of death. Good health, and life itself, are temporary.
9 • Society is a contrived reality. Expediency is valued; truth is avoided.
So, these few philosophies got me thinking on how will I lead a quality life, as laid out by Thoreau with all of the distractions that come with 21st century life. I will try to document my efforts and time managing communication with my new Twitter account, two email accounts (one work, one personal) two blogs I have just started, time with my wife, two daughters – one who is married, one who lives at home, walk our dog Gracie daily, ride my bike 2-3 times a week, recreational reading, reading for work (gotta keep learning), and oh yea do my job as an Infrastructure Architect using a Blackberry and a laptop, and keep my manager happy with my productivity and progress. Somewhere in there I have to find some time to eat or all of this just is for naught.
Should be fun … How is everyone else managing?
Intersect of IT 