The Italians have a saying: dolce far niente. It means the “sweetness of doing nothing.” Basically, it encourages people to spend time not doing much, just enjoying themselves. This concept may seem completely foreign to those of us who live in the United States. Consumer culture and productivity culture are
We are now into the Christmas and holiday season– and for better or for worse, gift giving is often a part of celebrations. Simple gift giving can be, well, a gift. When consumables, experiences, charitable giving, or limited material gifts that have been mentioned as wanted or needed are given,
Note: This is a guest post written by Will Platnick, husband to The Christian Minimalist. As a new parent, I need to be much more intentional about how I spend my time. I want to make sure that I’m spending as much time as I can with my wife and
In August, my husband Will and I went on a cruise with my parents. These family trips used to be a tradition (happening about every other year), but because of personal schedules and the pandemic, we hadn’t been on a trip together in five years. On our last trip five
Have you ever bought something small that sounded like a good idea at the time, but ended up being useless or broken in a matter of minutes? You’re not alone. Chances are, you’ve experienced this at least once, and know the frustration that comes with buying something that ends up
A few weeks ago, I took part in a contemplative prayer walk. Our small group started by walking slowly around the grounds of our seminary, on our own and yet together at the same time. When we had done that for a few minutes, the leader invited us to continue
Over the last few years, like many people, I’ve been in the job market searching for openings and applying to jobs. One phrase in particular kept standing out to me in many job postings– employers frequently wrote that they were looking for someone who went “above and beyond.” This struck
Note: This is a guest post written by Cassandra Roberts, mother of two children and host of the upcoming Needed and Known podcast. I subscribe to the idea that demonstrating and living something out is better than teaching and repeating for children. When I started reviewing our household, I had
More is Better…? A few years ago, there was a TV commercial for AT&T that made the rounds. It featured an executive in a suit sitting on the floor in a circle with a bunch of young kids. He asks the kids, “Who thinks more is better than less?” All
There is no doubt that the use of smart phones, the internet, and social media have helped us connect with one another and made information accessible to more people than ever before. Thanks to our phones and social media, we can see what our friends from across the country or