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Quote of the Day: Oscar Wilde

September 9th, 2012

To live is the rarest thing in the world.
Most people exist, that is all.

~Oscar Wilde

I’ve been thinking about this quote lately and was just telling Mr Chiots on Monday that I love our life. We have spent a lot of time and effort weeding out the things that we think waste our time and money and aren’t worth the return of “life” that they provide.

This is one of the reasons we do so many of the things that we do. When you sit down to a breakfast of pancakes and the maple syrup you use was collected and boiled down by your own hand, it truly does taste sweeter.

When I cut a piece of bread from a loaf I baked using the sourdough starter I’ve cultivated for years it satisfies more than just my hunger.

Living deliberately is something we really focus on and feel it gives us a deeper richer life.

Big bold plans are in the works for the upcoming year, new ways to live life even more fully and hopefully encouraging others to do the same. Can’t wait to share what we’ve got up our sleeves!

What are a few of the things you do that you feel really enrich your life?

16 Comments to “Quote of the Day: Oscar Wilde”
  1. Marina C on September 9, 2012 at 5:57 am

    You do it so well, and I look forward to seeing how you carry this serene yet busy pace to Maine.
    Will you be eating fish everyday? :-)
    When is moving day?

    Reply to Marina C's comment

    • Susy on September 9, 2012 at 7:35 am

      Fish/seafood is definitely on our must eat a lot of list. Official moving day Sept 19th.

      Reply to Susy's comment

      • Rocky on September 10, 2012 at 2:46 pm

        Susy,
        When we first moved from Ohio to Boston, we found that seafood were fresh and good in Boston, but vegetable and produce were better in the mid west. Then, when we moved from Boston to current location in coastal Maine, we first thought, we will have better seafood than Boston. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Most of seafood caught off shore of Maine ends up in Boston and NY for bigger market. However, you won’t have trouble finding cheap soft-shelled lobster any time of year. I hope you like crustaceans. Enjoy ;)

        to Rocky's comment

  2. Joan on September 9, 2012 at 6:58 am

    Gardening and caring for (and observing and laughing at) my chickens. Kayaking along the lakeshore with my dogs running or swimming beside me.Picnicking on an uninhabited island. Hiking. I feel invigorated and more aware of my life and it’s connection to the earth during each of these.

    Reply to Joan's comment

  3. Beth K on September 9, 2012 at 7:25 am

    So many things! Watching our son enjoy all the little things in life has intensified my wonder at all the amazing and wonderful things that surround us every day – even more so than before he was here, and I’ve always appreciated those kinds of things to begin with! Seeing the world through a child’s eyes is a precious gift. Growing so much of our food in the garden and in the pasture is another thing that adds value to our lives. I don’t think most people understand just how exciting it is to me to eat a meal that is almost completely made from products that we raised ourselves. Learning how to sew and hand quilt is deeply satisfying to me. It is is a wonderful creative outlet for me and it has been a way to give to so many people – that part is especially rewarding. Photography, while I really don’t know what I’m doing, is another thing that I find valuable. I take a ton of photos, but I love having those to look back on and remember different times in our lives. There are probably lots of other things I could list, but this is getting long enough! Anyway, I live a very busy life, but I don’t think I would find it nearly as satisfying if I didn’t squeeze in the time for most of these things. :-)

    Reply to Beth K's comment

  4. daisy on September 9, 2012 at 8:37 am

    Hanging clothes out on the line, making my own bread and taking time each day for yoga all give me a sense of purpose.
    Y’all have done such a great job making your lives your own. I aspire to be in such a place soon. All I can do is keep working toward the dream.

    Reply to daisy's comment

  5. denise on September 9, 2012 at 9:32 am

    getting outside – every day!

    Reply to denise's comment

  6. Andrea Duke on September 9, 2012 at 10:38 am

    Taking time out for myself, though can sound selfish, is what enriches my life. Parenting, yardwork, home improvements, gardening (which has led to meeting new people), chickens, etc… Being alone and having time to think and re-energize myself.

    Reply to Andrea Duke's comment

  7. KimH on September 9, 2012 at 10:43 am

    Meditate, pray, laugh, garden, cook using whole foods, spend time in nature, spend time with other cultures… visit some lifestyle blogs that serve as reminders…find something new to learn & study, often take classes, nurture my spirit & soul and that of others as well.. Yes, these are all wonderful ways to enrich my life..

    Reply to KimH's comment

  8. Annie on September 9, 2012 at 10:54 am

    We travel a fair amount to non-touristy places and just get outside a lot anyway. Walking my land and caring for the animals works too. We grow much of our food and flowers for the beauty but I think the thing that has helped me be the most grateful is building my house and crafting a home that really means something. It’s as much art to me as my other art.

    Reply to Annie's comment

  9. tj on September 9, 2012 at 12:30 pm

    …Oh you both are an inspiration to many, myself included! A heart filled “thank you” for what you do. Really. :o)

    …I’d have to say that gardening, sewing and doing household/barn/yard maintenance is something I truly enjoy and it enriches my soul as well as makes our place look charming. I aspire to cook/eat like you do and live more locally and make healthy, more sustainable choices. I long to preserve/can more and purchase meat that has been raised naturally and processed humanely.

    …The first photo is gorgeous! Great shot Susy! :o)

    …Have a lovely Sunday you two!

    …Oh, and honestly, I can’t wait to see all the goodness you two are gonna do living on your farm in Maine. Did you repeat those words, “living on your farm in Maine”? Your. Farm. In. Maine. *swoons*sigh*thud!* ;o)

    …Blessings

    Reply to tj's comment

    • Susy on September 9, 2012 at 12:46 pm

      I too LOVE that first photo. It was taken as we were up to drink our coffee and watch the sunrise in Wind Cave National Park. This was the view from our campsite. While watching this beautiful sunrise we were serenaded by bugling elk.

      “Our farm in Maine” kinda surreal.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  10. Maybelline on September 9, 2012 at 3:11 pm

    Grow most all my fruits and vegetables.
    Debt free.
    Learning continuously.
    Reduce waste (materials & time).

    Reply to Maybelline's comment

  11. Holly on September 10, 2012 at 12:20 pm

    You’re an inspiration to me. It seems that as time goes on I take more and more pleasure from simple things. Eating food raised in our garden, making things we need or things that will use less waste from recycled materials give me such pleasure now. We don’t have our farm yet, but we have made it from Los Angeles to the woods of New Hampshire a year ago and I sometimes have to pinch myself to believe it. Last week I was taking a swim in the pond across the street alone, listening to the birds and basking in the peace and serenity of it all when a junior size bear came strolling along the shore. I couldn’t believe I was living in such a world! And yet, we have friends and family that think we’re insane ;0)

    Reply to Holly's comment

  12. Norma on September 10, 2012 at 8:30 pm

    Noticing things more….I mean really noticing and looking. Like looking at the moon everyday it’s not clouded out and knowing where it is in the cycle. Noticing the bees and their work and the few that fall into my pool….I rescue at eve and keep warm in jars at night, some live, some die, but putting them back out in the garden either way and saying thanks for the job they do :) Really! noticing the seasons.
    Noticing myself when I shower, and being thankful for my skin and the sensation, my body being well, my eyes to see the moon, bees and flowers and to be able to read,cook, craft, etc, my ears for hearing birds, beautiful trees when the wind blows through, my family and my nose so I can smell yummy food, nature, home, my arms and legs so that I can enjoy getting around and being independant.
    Wow, just thinking about all this makes me misty!
    I think your snapshots must enrich your life, because thought has gone into them and they capture a special moment that would go unnoticed.
    I try to keep a diary, but the millions of special moments can’t fit

    Reply to Norma's comment

  13. Sue on September 11, 2012 at 11:13 am

    I really like to eat food that I’ve either grown, foraged, bartered, or bought from a local farmer. I use sunflower oil made in Maine, buy flour grown and milled on a local farm, buy meat locally, eat apples from a tree noone tends in a parking lot, work with other people on a borrowed plot of land on a farm to grow winter storage veg, grow as much as possible crammed into my tiny lot. I love using items in as many ways as possible. My apples are eaten fresh, made into cider, apple cider vinegar, dried, and of course used cooked in items sweet or savory. I actually bought an apple picker pole for this one particular tree. I’ve found several other trees in the meantime to pick from. I also like to share my knowledge with others. It’s unbelievable, but people really didn’t know that it’s ok to eat fruit from untreated trees. One woman even asked me if it was alright to eart the apples from a tree in her yard!

    Reply to Sue's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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