Twelve Prescriptions For A Life That Is Simple
By Margery McCurdy Plummer

(Adapted from Morning Sun on a White Piano)

I recently read a book and liked it so much that I want to pass some of its wisdom along to you. I usually use my own words in writing a column, but this author said what I thought in a much better way than I could, so I am borrowing some of them.

The title of the book is “Morning Sun on a White Piano” and was written by Dr. Robin Meyers. Maybe the cover attracted me, because it shows an old white upright piano beside a window with sun shining through. Maybe that cover and title made me want to see what was inside.

The book is written in chapters, and the final chapter summarizes twelve prescriptions for a life that is simple without being simplistic.

These are:

1. Consider hope to be one disposition. For there is no acceptable alternative.

2. Be patient and remember how often things work out according to a wisdom that is beyond understanding.

3. The Kingdom of Heaven is within us, and about us, but we can see it only with the eyes of the heart.

4. Renew the lost art of conversation, for without talk, life is a silent misunderstanding.

5. Be kind to four legged animals and all the creatures of the earth as if your life depended on them, because it does.

6. Never stop reading books, for they are the feast of the imagination.

7. Consider writing a letter or bringing a thoughtful gift, for this is no grace above consideration.

8. Remember that “carpe diem” (seize the moment), is more than a slogan on a t-shirt. It’s a way of life that seizes the moment.

9. Throw away any religion that circles the wagon, that makes you mean, and replace it with one than can make you more merciful.

10. Hold fast to memories, and project them into the future.

11. The life of simple pleasures is a state of mind, as much as a state of being. It’s a meeting of soul and sensation, available to everyone, guaranteed to no one.

12. Finally, be patient as the world unfolds. Anticipation can cover the short run, and hope can cover the rest.