“Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find Harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies
Opportunity”.
Albert Einstein was a genius and
the practical applications of his theories, including the development of the
television, remote control devices, automatic door openers, lasers, and
DVD-players have shaped how we live today.
The above quote speaks very
plainly to how Albert Einstein lived his life and we should all learn from this
brilliant man.
During this very busy and
stressful time leading up to the holidays, we are all guilty of overdoing
it. Each Christmas has to be better than
the last. For years, my Christmas tree
had to be perfectly decorated and get this, color coordinated with my living
room! I hand decorated Christmas
stationary to match the cards I selected and baked every Christmas cookie in
our family cookbook. I also did all the
shopping, gift wrapping, cooking – sound familiar ladies – and by the time
Christmas rolled around I was usually grumpy, sick and not a very pleasant
person to be around.
I don’t know if it was my guilt
from being a working mother that I had to make Christmas so special or my
competitive nature, or maybe a combination of both, but there I was year after
year doing the same thing and driving myself crazy and everyone around me. Another great Einstein quote –“Insanity: doing the same
thing over and over again and expecting different results”.
I regained my
sanity and a very different philosophical approach to life when I moved to
London in 2008 and into an apartment that was one fifth the size of my
Connecticut house. I learned that less
is more and with the right approach to space optimization, everything I wanted
was right at my fingertips. I have never
felt so free and unencumbered in my life and as a result able to enjoy all that
life has to offer. My ability to focus
on what was important brought harmony to my life and a much better balance
which led to opportunities to do things I otherwise would have overlooked.
This Christmas, we’re not putting
up a Christmas tree because we’re heading to the UK for the birth of our first
grandchild – the best Christmas present ever!
We don’t want any presents other than a healthy addition to the family. From my other kids who are not yet ready to
bless us in the same way, all I want is a letter. They can write anything they want but it has
to be from the heart. I will cherish
this Christmas like no other.
Here’s hoping this Christmas you
are blessed with simplicity, harmony and opportunity. A simple Christmas that focuses on what is
important, harmony with those you love and the opportunity to see the good in
everyone.
Oh, and by the way, is anyone
interested in a 5 bedroom house in Connecticut?