It is the true story of two typical middle-class American achievers, successful by most standards, who are nevertheless disenchanted by the mantra of consume and possess. They want more, and realize that hard choices have to be made lest they be swept away in the flotsam of the mainstream.
Buoyed by the power of their love, they quit their jobs, leaving behind the financial comfort of a six-figure income and learn to live well on a few hundred dollars a month. All their material possessions are sold save what fits inside a fifteen-year-old VW van.
Poor by conventional standards, they set out to look, to learn, to walk their talk. And they discover they are richer than they have ever been.
As the search for meaning and purpose in life is universal, Simple Elegance is a story with universal appeal. In the midst of an ever-confusing and cluttered world, the desire to simplify, to do less and have it mean more, is spreading.
| Introduction | ix | |
| I. | The Beginning--1994--Autumn | 1 |
| II. | The Lake--1995--Summer | 59 |
| III. | Work and Play--1995--Autumn | 67 |
| IV. | The Treehouse--1996--Spring | 89 |
| V. | A New Road Taken--1996--Spring | 93 |
| VI. | Transition--1996--Summer | 101 |
| VII. | Old Yeller--1997--Winter | 135 |
| VIII. | Going Simple and Stuffless--1997--Spring | 147 |
| IX. | On the Road--1997--Summer | 167 |
| X. | A Life Defined--1997--December | 237 |
| XI. | The Cabin--1998--Winter | 243 |
| XII. | A Typical Day--Now | 275 |
| Epilogue | 289 | |
| Appendix A | 291 | |
| Appendix B | 301 |
Overview
It is the true story of two typical middle-class American achievers, successful by most standards, who are nevertheless disenchanted by the mantra of consume and possess. They want more, and realize that hard choices have to be made lest they be swept away in the ...