The Simple Life.

I know they say people born before 1980 have trouble operating anything more technical than a toaster, but that doesn't seem to stop us from buying the stuff. I was born (cough) a few years before that myself, and it hasn't even slowed me down. This hit home to me, oddly enough, when I wasn't home at all. I was deep in the Adirondacks in a cabin without any electricity. "Blissfully unplugged" the ad had read. And "unplugged" it was.

There were a number of things that amazed me about having no electricity, besides the fact that I'd volunteer to live somewhere without it. The first thing you notice without the constant background hum of electrical appliances is the quiet. You can hear everything so much clearer. Particularly the gnawing of squirrels behind the closet walls, which is so loud they sound roughly about the size of small elephants.

Having no electricity also saves volumes of time. There is no computer to eat up hours downloading hundreds of messages that have to be read and answered immediately. No television programs to keep up with. No phone--which can be nice for a change. I found the easiest way to "unplug" was to, quite literally, unplug. While I can't say that I returned home an electrical purist, having seen firsthand the benefits of being unplugged, I intend to simplify my life occasionally by re-creating that in my modern, fully electrical, squirrel-free home.

Don't get me wrong. I like things "that make my life easier. But there are some things that create a sense of balance in me that have nothing to do with how quick or modern they are. Like drying the clothes. I love to dry the clothes on wooden drying racks on the "drying green" (isn't that quaint?) in the backyard.

I like the smell of the clean, wet clothes. I like not having to hear the constant growl of the clothes dryer. I particularly like hanging the clothes out at night when the scent of the flowers intensifies on the heavy night air and it seems that it's only me and the frogs chirping (at a safe distance to add natural sound effects but not terrify me by leaping around underfoot).

I like sweeping and detest vacuum cleaners. I'd rather write a letter using one of my fountain pens and some pretty ink than type out an e-mail. Some things soothe by their simplicity. What soothes you? Do you like washing your dishes by hand or the soft glow of candles lighting the night? Would you rather soak in a bath than take a shower? Whatever it is, find the simple, traditional things that have rhythm and add a sense of groundedness to your life and do them.

To live a simpler life, try some of these old-fashioned activities to appreciate how things used to be done and how far technology has brought us. Make your use of technology deliberate. And take a break from it occasionally.

* Light your house with candles and tell stories and play games in the evening instead of watching TV.

* Write letters (on real paper with things called pens) instead of sending an e-mail.

* Do something you're used to doing with technology by hand. Collect rainwater to flush toilets, wash your dishes in the sink instead of a dishwasher, sweep instead of vacuum.

* Make something you usually buy, such as a card, stationery, or candles (with paraffin wax and old crayons) or grow windowsill herbs for cooking.

* Pick a book the whole family can enjoy and read together out loud at night. Choose another to read aloud to your spouse.

When not writing for Vibrant Life, Celeste perrino Walker enjoys more of the simple life at her home in Rutland, Vermont.