Last night Thom and I attended a Jack Johnson concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl and this morning I woke up with a fun hangover. First, if you don’t know who Jack Johnson is and you love music, you need to look him up. Second, if you haven’t experienced a fun hangover in a while, maybe it’s time you indulged. After all, it’s SMART to occasionally push our boundaries and get out of our comfort zones. Doing something unexpected, out of the ordinary, and especially fun every now and then is a sure prescription for ongoing happiness and good health. [Read more…]
The Second Annual SMART Living 30-Day Gratitude Challenge-2013
From My Renewed Mind.com
Most of us know that one of the best ways to live a SMART, happy and fulfilled life is to practice gratitude on a regular basis. As Mathew Henry said, “Thanksgiving is good, but Thanks Living is better.” Unfortunately, if you’re anything like me it’s far too easy to get stuck in our routines or troubles and let the doing of it slip our mind on a daily basis. That’s why for the second year in a row I am challenging myself to highlight aspects of “Thanksgiving” here on my blog in a way that keeps much of my focus and attention on both the feeling and expression of gratitude every day throughout the month. And hopefully, just like last year, you will be inspired enough to join me and “share the gratitude” in any way that you can. [Read more…]
A Good Night’s Sleep—A Big Benefit Of A Simple & Minimal Life
This morning I was surprised to see a blog post on the Internet titled something like, “It’s not easy to be a minimalist.” Then when I thought about it, most of the articles I read these days about simple living or minimalism focus on the struggle to de-clutter or reduce one’s debts—as though this new lifestyle was a chore instead of a pleasure. But at the core of how I define simple living are the opulent gifts of freedom, rest, peace, time and contentment. A great outcome from any one of those is a good night’s sleep. While seldom mentioned when listing the benefits of minimalism, I think most people overlook the fact that sleep, and sleeping well, is one of the most luxurious aspects of a richly contented life. [Read more…]
Walkability–How Walkable is Your Neighborhood?
Happy SMART Day Everyone!
Walking with Kloe near our neighborhood.
Until recently, very few of us purchased a home or rented a house based upon its “walkability score.” But that might be changing. With increased emphasis on the benefits of living in a home where you can walk to community services like libraries, schools and shopping—plus increasing legislation which promotes sustainable regional growth strategies for both housing and transportation—attitudes may be shifting. In fact, as more people attempt to embrace a more SMART and eco-friendly lifestyle, walkability is proving to be one of the best “steps” on the way to going green.
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