collect more strength and
overcome pain? and build a little happiness
into your daily routine.
A: Once again, I gleaned
from the wise teachings of
Anne Morrow Lindbergh. In
her classic, Gifts from the Sea,
she writes of how beach living
invites “the art of shedding.”
Living near the Atlantic, my
husband and I visit the Outer
Banks of North Carolina on
a regular basis. First thing we
do? Walk to the beach and
shed our shoes. Toes in the
sand. Our blood pressure
drops immediately. So, I felt
inclined to expand on her
thoughts and considered five
simple ways to implement this
fine art on an emotional and
spiritual level: 4. Shed complication.
From personal experience,
I promise that as you imple-
ment everything we’ve lightly
touched on in this conversation,
life will get simpler.
1. Shed vanity. Let go of
caring so much about
achievement, accolades,
appearance, status, etc.
2. Shed hypocrisy. No more
facades. Strengthen your sense
of self by practicing solitude
and silence. Engage in that
powerful three-fold cord of
connection: connect to God,
to self and then, to others.
3. Shed anxiety. This is a
tough one. Remember that
everybody’s business in not
our business. Turn off all those
digital devices. Practice joy
52 Solutions
5. Shed the trifles and trap-
pings of modern life. It sounds
cliche, but “the little things
are really the big things.” I
turn to Ecclesiastes 4:6 for
help in this shedding, “Better
one handful with tranquility
than two handfuls with toil and
chasing after the wind.” For
a woman who birthed twins,
this takes on tremendous
meaning. Just because we
can carry two handfuls of
life doesn’t mean it is best.
Simplify, simplify, simplify.
Janell Rardon is a national
and international speaker,
author, and relationship
expert. A board-certified
Advanced Christian Life
Coach (AACC), she is in
private practice in Suffolk, VA.