Simple Days: A Journal on What Really Matters

by Marlene A. Schiwy

When Marlene Schiwy decided to simplify her life she didn't move to the boondocks to follow Thoreau. She didn't move anywhere-she stayed in New York. And she didn't start growing organic tomatoes or keeping bees. She didn't strip down her possessions to what she could stuff into a suitcase or the trunk of her car. She didn't subscribe to any of the faddish "simpler life" gimmicks, but started by simply paying attention to what mattered most to her-to what filled a real need and what was just clutter. She took her life off automatic pilot. And kept a journal where she explored questions like - How do you balance career, family, and self? - How do you nourish body and soul and still find time for creative expression? - Can you live simply while earning a living? - Can you reconcile the complexities of modern life with your yearning for serenity? - What role does money play? Simple Days is unique among books on simple living. It's not a how-to manual, nor a list of shortcuts to a simpler life. It helps us on our way to simplicity, not by giving us all-purpose answers to our questions, but by sharing her believable, illuminating experiences.

Paperback

Published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book when it was published twenty years ago. It was tremendously meaningful to me at the time, reigniting my love of journaling and inspiring me with the author’s quest to find what really matters.

On the reread there were moments when I wasn’t sure it would stand the test of time. Times when the author was repetitive or overly self-absorbed. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting journal and, at the end of the day, worth keeping on my shelf for a potential third read in another couple of decades.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggle to enjoy most books about simplifying because of the "Fix your problems in 10 easy steps" approach they take. I'm also not a fan of the "throw out everything you own, shun all technology, and go live in a cabin in the country" approach either. I like stuff and I want things and I'm never going to give up my television or computer. But, the author assures me in the first sentence of the book, "This is not a book about going back to the land," so I figured I could safely proceed.

This book doesn't offer easy solutions, it just tells the story of a woman's year-long quest to simplify her life. But it found it very motivating. It made me realize that simplifying my life isn't about easy solutions, or it's not just about getting rid of clutter. It's about being honest with myself about how I really life and what I truly enjoy spending my time on.
You can read the rest of my review here: http://theheartlandchronicle.blogspot...

[Sita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a different kind of book on living simply -- it's a journal which takes you along on the journey, and makes you think about what really matters in your own life. No ready solutions, just thought-provoking passages. Reading is was very soothing. The only thing that irritated me at first was that her lifestyle (no kids, working part time yet financially stable) was not something I could identify with, yet over time I noticed how a lot of it it was a result of deliberate choices (she didn't come from a privileged family) and part by chance (she wasn't childfree by choice).

On the whole I recommend it very much, as it brings you to really rethink your priorities instead of following someone else's.

[Rachel W]

Generally, I really enjoyed this book and got a lot out of it. I appreciate the similarities I personally had in terms of upbringing and culture, so it felt like it spoke to me even though the author is from a different generation than me.

There were a few times where the book's era caught up with itself in terms of feminist ideas, gender roles and whatnot but it's easily overlooked since that stuff is not important to the overall thesis of what makes a life meaningful and enjoyably simple.

I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a gentle musing on living rather than an intense/in your face self help book that bashes you over the head with solutions.

[Jaymi · Rating 3 out of 5]

We all long for the simple life, where we surround ourselves with just enough things to not weigh us down; and time to enjoy the greater things in life. Does it mean stripping her life to the bare minimum of items around her? Does it mean moving from the life in the city to out in the countryside where she grows her own foods? In a day and age where many people take the idea of a "simple life" to the extreme (they move away from places they love, grow their own food, and get rid of countless treasures) Simple Days is Schiwy's attempt at looking inside herself and trying to understand what a simple life really means. Schiwy kept this journal over the course of a year in which she determined what she wanted to gain in "simplifying her own life". At first she wonders if simplifying life means getting rid of just stuff or if there's a deeper meaning to it all. The journal, then follows her path as she sorts out just what sort of a simple life she wants. It details her comfort zones of what she needs to retain in her life and also reminisces about her family life and how that shaped her view of living. In the end, she finds that she already lives a simple life; it's mostly just clearing out clutter and preparing herself for a long move from the East Coast to the West that she needs to get a handle on. This book was another long ago purchase that helps to clear it off a stack.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting exploration of what really matters. I enjoyed the helpful questions at the end of the book and look forward to using them to find what really matters to me.

[Covenant Presbyterian Springfield Ohio]

Call Number: 179 SCH

Available.