The first week of August is Simplify Your Life week, and it’s always good to be reminded that life doesn’t have to be so complicated. With a nod to the week that’s in it, I just got through re-reading Henry David Thoreau’s study on simple living, Walden. (It’s available free on Wikisource here.) When I first though about using Simplify for the travel theme, my mind flew to this photo taken along Salmon La Sac Creek in the North Cascades – how better to simplify your life than to spend quality time doing something you love with your best friend?

Another method of simplifying is to embrace minimalism. It doesn’t get much more minimalistic or more beautiful than a Zen garden like this one at the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island.

One of the easiest ways to simplify is to eliminate distractions and that works for photography too. A single subject can make for a pleasing composition.

The main goal of simplifying your life is to rid yourself of the inessential in order to make room for what is important to you. I’m working on creating space to do more writing so am carving out chunks of time with no tv or radio to distract and no phone or email to interrupt. What would you do with more space and time? If you would like to join in this week’s travel theme (everyone’s welcome) here’s what to do:

• Create your own post and title it Travel theme: Simplify
• Include a link to this page in your post so others can find it too
• Get your post in by next Thursday, as the new travel theme comes out on Friday
• Don’t forget to subscribe to keep up to date on the latest weekly travel themes. Sign up via the email subscription link in the sidebar or RSS!

xxx Ailsa

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. – Hans Hoffman

Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify. – Henry David Thoreau