Quote to remember on hard days:

Every time life gets too complicated for me, it’s almost always of my own doing.

It happens to us all. It’s part of life — a cycle of sorts.

But we would do best to remember this as we go through our days and weeks.

Simplify.

A framework to simplify life:

Make a List

Life gets complicated sometimes.

It seems the older we get, the more experiences we accumulate, the more responsibility we inherit, the more complicated life becomes.

But does it have to be this way? Is there something we can do to come back to simple?

Laura White would tell her son when he was growing up, “Do the right thing.” Simple advice. Easy to remember. And tends to clear a lot of decisions up in life.

That wisdom, simple as it seemed, would contribute to Charlie White's long and extraordinary life that didn’t end until he was 109.

But Charlie’s story is about so much more than his longevity. His story is about perseverance, endurance, resilience, and living life to the fullest. All while keeping things simple. As the world changed all around him — as things do over a century — he stayed true to his core of living with a simple understanding of truly matters the most.

Near the end of his life, he took the time to write a simple list of his personal philosophy on life, which you can find in today’s book recommendation, The Book of Charlie.

Things like:

Practice patience.

Smile often.

Savor special moments.

The author of this book, David Von Drehle, arrives at a theory that life consists of two parts: a) we are complexifiers and we complicate everything, and b) if we are fortunate to live long enough, we become simplifiers.

As Von Drehle puts it so elegantly:

So today, consider taking out a sheet of paper and writing some simple thoughts you believe in your heart to be true about life and how to live your best life. Nothing too long, less is better. Bonus points if you can limit it to three words. Short, yet powerful words that mean something to you. Keep it simple.

Von Drehle continues, talking about Charlie:

Let’s not all wait until we get old to see the magic of simplicity in each of our lives. Let’s see it now. Treasure it. Hold on to it. And pass it down like Charlie did.

If you need a little help getting started with your list, here’s some inspiration from Charlie White:

“Be soft sometimes…Cry when you need to…Make some mistakes…Learn from them…Work hard…Spread joy…Take a chance…Enjoy wonder.”

(Email me a few of your ideas. I’d love to hear them.)

This week’s book recommendation:

The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man

This book is 191 wisdom-packed pages telling the story of a man who witnessed so much change throughout his life. From 1905 to 2014, Charlie lived through WW1, served in WW2, practiced medicine before penicillin, and once took a road trip to California from Kansas City in an automobile on nothing but dirt roads. Unbelievable. When he passed, he was only a decade shy of living half of the existence of America. But his story is more than just surviving or enduring. He was tough, full of joy, and even poetic at times. Reading this inspires you. Reminds those of us fortunate enough to have a great grandpa, of their own special qualities. This book makes you wish you had met Charlie and reminds you to listen up and take advantage of when a wise old sage is talking. It’s a quick read. It will brighten your day in a world that seems so uncertain sometimes. And it will also remind you that ole Charlie lived through just as many uncertain times as we do today. It’s not different, it’s just a different view.