The Sweetness of a Simple Life
Tips for a healthier, happier and kinder living from a visionary natural scientist
By Diana Beresford-Kroeger, PhD | Penguin Random House (April 7, 2015)
This year, my plan is to share various books, articles, and philosophers who can help us heal ourselves and, in turn, heal our earth and climate.
This is the second book of Diana Beresford-Kroeger that I have read. The first was To Speak for the Trees which I read while vacationing in Ireland.
My admiration for this visionary has grown deeper with this reading.
The Book
The Sweetness of a Simple Life is a book full of essays. When I finished reading them, I wished I had had been taught how to live this way when I was young. I encourage you to share it with the young people in your life.
As she seems to do with everything she touches, Diane Beresford-Kroeger mixes science with storytelling. Through her common-sense approach, her gift to us is a greater understanding of the interconnectedness of every living thing on this planet we call Earth.
Diane Beresford-Kroeger was orphaned at an early age and a bachelor uncle who loved knowledge and books became her entire family. She spent her summers with distant relatives in Ireland who were among the last people to follow the Druidic traditions. These teachings instilled in her a love and respect for the nature of all things, the freedom to use a creative approach to living, and a search for wisdom to share with others. It was these teachings of the ancient druids that introduced her to the idea that science and art overlap.
Wisdom
In this wonderful collection of essays, you will find an easy-to-understand guide for living simply and well. Beresford-Kroeger’s appreciation for nature infused my soul. She describes how to grow a garden, how to store food for the winter, which foods to eat for good health, and how we can take care of our loved ones and our pets.
Diana Beresford-Kroeger mixes modern medicine and ancient traditions with practical wisdom to give us a guide on how to live a life connected with nature and all that it offers us.
We must be the change that helps nature thrive so we can all breathe fresh air under blue skies for the rest of human existence.
Take care,
~~ Ellen
Videos
P.S. I found this wonderful video of Diana Beresford-Kroeger describing her childhood. It peals back the layers and you get a peak at her heart. You can find Diana Beresford Kroeger – Care of Mind Body and Soul on Unity of Vancouver’s YouTube channel. There are many more videos of her online from gardening tips to hour-long presentations.
You might also be interested in documentary projects and their websites that Beresford-Kroeger supported.
A three-part PBS documentary that shares the natural history of trees and the challenges they will face as climate change progresses. Funded by the MacArthur Foundation.
This one-hour video follows Diana Beresford-Kroeger as she tells amazing stories of ancient forests while also explaining the science of trees and the critical roles they play in protecting and feeding our planet.