Keeping things simple used to be my defense against the chaos. A kind of comfort zone. I like collections, but I don't enjoy clutter in a bedroom or a living room. There is too much energy generated in it for me. That is also probably why I live with so much white. I am drawn to the serenity in it.

I am turning more inward with my thoughts these days, and I am not alone. Where else is there for thoughts to go in these times than in one's head or on a page" Too much time spent away from friends and family or even strangers. Yes, there are fixes, somewhat. But "simple" has kind of now joined the stress side of the equation.

I used to have writing ambitions when I was a very young person, and then I suppose life became too fulfilling for that. For me, that kind of expression was a substitute for having the right people to relate to in my life. But now the too large world has become too small again all at the same time. The complexity of living rises higher with each passing day. 
I have not thought so actively on how to stay sane in a long time. But we took a recent break into the woods and camped out a couple of nights AFTER the 4th of July and in an undeveloped camp site. There are of course a few sacrifices involved in doing this. And really sleeping well is one of them. There are also fire restrictions, and so a campfire is not allowed.

But there was the amazing fragrance of the Ponderosa pines that had been lost in time. The sound o...