By Marie Sherlock In the third (and final) installment of our How to Simplify series (read Part One and Part Two), we’re going to investigate some of those BIG simplifying efforts that can ultimately result in BIG life changes, like retiring early or working part-time, traveling, living abroad – and beyond. The bottom line here…
The Happiness Track
By Marie Sherlock Are you happy? It’s probably a good thing to ask yourself every once in awhile, especially if you sense that something is missing in your life. And if you live in the U.S., that could well be the case. Last year the U.S. ranked a lowly 18th among the world’s countries for…
Castles, Caves and Confit de Canard – and Five More Reasons To Visit France’s Dordogne Region
By Marie Sherlock True confessions: I am a Francophile. While Americans are fond of denigrating the French, citing their haughty waiters, their enduring disdain for foreigners, and their apparent physical inability to pick up their dog droppings, I remain an admirer of nearly all-things-French. It likely started with my dear French-Canadian grandmother who spoke a…
What’s Your Purpose?
By Marie Sherlock I come from a large extended family – many siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins. Of late (I’m now 64), I typically see my cousins at funerals – the funerals of aunts and uncles. 🙁 Anyway, I was talking to one of my cousins at such a gathering a few years back….
How to Simplify Your Life: Part Two: Baby Steps
By Marie Sherlock In the first part of our How to Simplify series, we asked that you do a bit of soul searching to help you determine what matters most to you and – going deeper – what your values are, what your most cherished beliefs are. While it is very helpful to have this…
48 Hours on San Juan Island, Washington
By Marie Sherlock I’ve got to go on record, right now, and say that 48 hours is, most definitely, not enough time to experience San Juan Island, Washington. If you can, plan on staying a week – or more. Heck, consider retiring here. But if you only have two days to visit this namesake of…
How to Simplify Your Life: Part One: Soul Searching
By Marie Sherlock Renowned philosopher and environmentalist Henry David Thoreau encouraged the world to “Simplify, Simplify!” Thoreau carried his belief in simplifying to what most of us would consider an extreme in today’s world: he chose to live, alone, in a cabin in the woods, off the grid (not that there was much of a…