Dear Readers: 

Due to my current "unsimple" schedule resulting from my duties as executor of my mother's estate and other factors, I'm currently unable to update the News section of this site. I hope to be able to resume regular updates of this page in late 2007 or early 2008.  Meanwhile, please peruse the the archive of previous newsletters for interesting and useful information on simplicity and sustainability.

Sincerely,

David A. Heitmiller

May 2006

Your Money or Your Life Charette

In late February 2006 we participated, along with 15 other dedicated Your Money or Your Life supporters and advocates, in a charette of the Your Money or Your Life program. A charette is “design review” process. In this case, a review and a brainstorming session on how we might repackage, revitalize and update the way we present the ideas of the Your Money or Your Life program in the 21st century to attract a wider audience.

Over a long weekend we gathered at the Simple Living Network headquarters in Trout Lake, Washington and shared our experiences, ideas and proposals. The New Road Map Foundation who funded the meeting gave us wide latitude in exploring ideas with one caveat: The book Your Money or Your Life will not be rewritten but will remain the “classic” reference work among many other resources for doing the steps in the 21st century.

Without getting into specific details, we can say that the group discussed all the existing resources and many new ideas on how we might proceed in the future. Based on these ideas a proposal has been developed and presented to the board of directors of the New Road Map Foundation (NRM would fund development costs to implement the proposal) and we are awaiting their decision on if and how to proceed. We’ll keep you posted.

Coastin’ 2005

Having missed my “long ride” in 2004, I (David) was anxious to hit the road again in 2005. In mid-September I loaded up my panniers and camping gear (about 40 lbs.) and headed southwest from Seattle spending the first night with simple living friends in Shelton, Washington. Two days later I crossed the Astoria Bridge over the Columbia River into Oregon and camped not too far from where Lewis and Clark made their famous winter encampment. Riding alone for the first three days I soon met several other cyclists from all over the world all making their way down the beautiful Oregon Coast. It’s always fun to meet fellow travelers, share “road stories” and life experiences around the campfire in the hiker/biker section of Oregon’s State parks.

Self-contained cycling (that’s cycling slang for riding while carrying all your own gear) has always reconnected me to simple living and to nature. When you have to use your own strength to carry your necessities of life, you really think carefully about what is important. And you find that it doesn't’t take that much to sustain yourself relatively comfortably. This trip was no exception and I really enjoyed cycling outside the city environment. This ride was somewhat of a challenge as I have not been cycling as much and as regularly as in the past largely due to my part time handyman business. But I was blessed with great weather, no physical or mechanical problems and a tailwind most of the way!

Although the natural beauty is still there I found much changed since my last bicycle trip down the coast in 1997.  Many of the small sleepy towns I remembered are full of condos, second homes and new commercial enterprises.  And although the traffic was not too bad in September I noticed that $3 per gallon gas was no deterrent to huge (bus sized) RV's towing SUV's! After 10 days on the road, my friend Joe Leeak who was on a car trip in Oregon and northern California met me in Brookings, Oregon near the California border. After a great pizza and beer party with all my coast cycling “buddies” we threw the bike on the rack and took a leisurely two day car ride back to Seattle. I’m now deciding where to go on my 2006 “long ride.”

Passages

• David Turns 60

Another birthday rolled by in December as I kissed my 50’s goodbye and entered my seventh decade on planet earth. I celebrated the occasion with family and friends and counted my many blessings in life so far. I continue in good health and look forward to many active years ahead. That said, I am always cognizant of the fact that anything can happen and its best to be focused on and in the present moment. My best birthday present was the surprise announcement by our daughter Kimberly and son-in-law Felipe that there was a “bun in the oven” that would be fully baked around May 1! See below for the details about the recent appearance of Marisol Carolina Berzunza!

• Saying Goodbye to Sophie

As noted on the recent front page of this site, our dear dog passed away in early March. Our home is still suffering the “empty” feeling that occurs when someone near and dear passes on but we are gradually adjusting to this new reality. We’re often asked if we will get another dog and the answer is maybe….but not for awhile. We love dogs (and other animals) and someday we may welcome a new dog into our lives. But for now we’ll continue to enjoy our memories of Sophie awhile longer. To that end, Jacque recently put together “The Story of Sophie,” a beautiful memory book of pictures, cards, cartoons and other memorabilia about our departed friend and companion. More about Sophie

• Welcome Marisol

And life goes on. On April 19, 2006 our new grand-daughter, Marisol Carolina Berzunza made her grand entry to planet earth. She weighed in at 7 lbs 5 ounces and was 20 inches long and most importantly, healthy. Mother and daughter are now home and doing well. For those not familiar with Spanish, “mar” is sea and “sol” is sun so translated her name would mean “sea and sun.” Appropriate for a child in San Diego, no? Carolina honors David’s first wife Carol (Kimberly’s mother) who died in 1983 (see News July 2003). Grandma and Grandpa will travel to San Diego at the end of May to meet Marisol for the first time.

Simplicity Forum News

Last August, David attended the Simplicity Forum annual congress in Estes Park, Colorado. The Simplicity Forum is a group of simplicity leaders from around the country and the world that attempt to develop new strategies for promoting the simplicity message. The 2005 session focused on four tracks: Strategy and Framing, Peace through Simplicity, Ecological Awareness and Issues and Simplicity and the Next Generation. Besides the formal agenda the congress also presents many opportunities for off-line discussion and brainstorming. A complete report on the Estes Park conference, as well as previous meetings and other Forum information can be found at www.simplicityforum.org.

Since the Estes Park conference, the Forum has decided to rethink its mission and is currently in the process of deciding if there will be a national congress in 2006. Many members feel that extended cross-country (and even cross-ocean) travel is not a very ecologically sound method of promoting sustainability and simplicity. It appears that smaller regional conferences and electronic communication mediums may replace the national conference this year.

News Briefs

• GAL Funds Distribution: As promised in Getting a Life, we’ve donated 97% of the net proceeds to a variety of organizations that promote simplicity and sustainability. With our end of year donations in 2005 we completed that distribution. For more information on the process and the organizations we’ve supported over the years go to “Where did the Money Go?"
• California 2006: As has been our practice for the last several years, we once again spent several weeks in Southern California in late 2005 and early 2006.  This year's stay was shorter than in recent years as we knew that we would be visiting again in May to greet our new grand-daughter. We spent Christmas in Henderson, NV with Jacque's sister's family and her parents John and Kay Blix.
• Chicago 2006: After saying goodbye to Sophie we immediately flew to Chicago to visit Jacque's relatives and our good friends and fellow Your Money or Your Lifers, Mike and Linda Lenich. We also took in an interesting Pompei exhibit at the Field Museum and visited the beautiful Bah ai Temple.  David hung out for a few days with Mike while Jacque and Linda attended a quilting retreat in Michigan.
• Getting the Garden Going: After a long damp winter we're finally getting spring weather and preparing our organic vegetable garden prepared for the growing season.  Jacque has seeds started indoors and peas in the ground outside.  Now come on sun!
  

Book Recommendations

Our latest recommended reads:

Hot off the Press! The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community by David C. Korten, Barrett-Koeller Publishers and Kumarian Press, 2006.  This one just arrived in our mailbox a few days ago and we are just getting into it but we wanted to pass it along our recommendation right away.  Many of you have read David's previous books; When Corporations Rule the World and The Post-Corporate World and I'm sure will want to get this one. Korten is one of the few authors who addresses the big picture or over-arching view of how and why we must change the direction of humanity and its impact on the earth.

Mind Over Water: Lessons on Life From the Art of Rowing by Craig Lambert, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998. Having rowed on crew for a couple of years in college back in the '60s, David enjoyed reading this guy's take on rowing. Lambert weaves his various experiences of crew racing and sculling (individual rowing) with the twists and turns of everyday life as well as some of the major passages we all experience.  Although I enjoyed this book overall I was somewhat put off by the authors emphasis on the competitive aspects of rowing. Still, worth the read.

Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic (Second Edition) by John De Graaf, David Wann, and Thomas H. Naylor, Barrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2005.  This is the new and improved version of the original book published in 2001.  This version updates statistics and adds new information to make it more relevant and useful.  This is an excellent book that I think gets to the some of the root causes of what is wrong with our consumer-based materiaistic society.  And why simple and sustainable living are so important.

Lake Wobegon Days by Garrison Keillor, Penguin Books, 1986.  Many of you have probably read this best-seller of the mid-1980s. Although we've enjoyed Keillor's Prarie Home Companion radio program over the years, somehow David missed reading the book until recently when he stumbled across a copy someone left at the dentist office. David's mother was born and raised in Minnesota and still has relatives there and he grew up in a small town, not unlike Lake Wobegon so he could really relate to the characters and images presented as well as Keillor's down-home storytelling style.  Even if you read it "back in the day," it might be worth a second look.  Everything old is new again they say.