Simple

Over the week end, Verizon came for like 8 hours in order to move our modem from one side of the house to the other. It wasn't a particularly huge job, but because the union workers are on strike, they sent a Verizon-managed employee, who they trained to fill in. Still, it was worth the trouble! Now, hubby gets a powerful connection in order to work from home on days he's not in DC, and both the boys and hubby have since been talking on and off about how much stronger the wifi connection is, all around the house.

This morning at breakfast, hubby told us he couldn't sleep and had been puttering around the house. Then was checking on things and noticed his phone was connected along with 30 other devices.

Thirty other devices? I exclaimed, how do we have 30 devices???

I couldn't understand it, he continued, I saw all of these device names I didn't recognize! And then I realized! I wasn't on our own network, I was on our neighbor's!!! So obviously I disconnected and connected to our own network.

Well, so how many devices do we have?

Five: 2 phones, 2 computers and 1 printer.

Someone came over, yesterday, and remarked how tidy the house looked. I laughed. It is barer than any suburban house I've ever been in, did she notice? Owning as little as possible has spared us infinite amounts of trouble. She then noticed the desk in the dining room. I told her it was Jake's and showed her how he has one shelf nearby filled with current school text books and binders of papers for each subject that stay at home. He doesn't use his locker, I told her, everything is carried back and forth in his backpack or is on this desk or on his shelf. Things have little chance of getting lost. She was astonished and laughed her head off.

Yes, It probably sounds funny and extreme sounding, but it was necessary for him - a smart but organizational misfit - and this has worked for him. And preserved my sanity. He never lost a paper this year and his grades now are consistently in previously unventured stratosphere.

Keeping it simple and living with only what is necessary or exceptional. It's the way of life we adopted to an extreme while living in Charles' rental, 6 years ago, and simultaneously selling the old house, eventually taking a significant loss on it. I've learned that the simplified life is just the best way, even when not in financial duress. Keep maintenance light, keep it simple, try to own nothing!