"A field of water betrays the spirit that is in the air. It is continually receiving new life and motion from above. It is intermediate between land and sky." So Henry David Thoreau immortalized Walden Pond, but he could have been describing this calming image of Ežezers Lake in Latvia. Today, the birthday of that famous American advocate for pursuing a simple life is also National Simplicity Day, an annual reminder to unplug, slow down, step back, and consider your life. Thoreau"s most famous work (that you probably haven"t read since high school), "Walden," is his account of the two years, two months, and two days he spent away from society in a cabin near the shore of Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Through this work he encourages us to take a step back and look for ways to simplify our lives. "Our life is frittered away by detail," Thoreau observed. "Simplify, simplify."
A day to take a moment
Today in History
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National Park Week: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
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The Badlands celebrates a milestone
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Adorably evolutionary sea sheep
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Mossy Grotto Falls, Oregon
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I ll call for pen and ink
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Combating extinction with citizen science
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Sanday Island and the North Sea, Scotland
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The largest living organism on Earth
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National Merry-Go-Round Day
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The crossroads of empires
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Aw shucks, It s Oyster Day
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Celebrating Madagascar on its Independence Day
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‘Ciao’ from Varenna
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Celebrating National Panda Day
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Patriot Day
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Daylight saving time
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Take the Stairs Day
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Modica, Sicily, Italy
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Space is for everyone
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National Park Week: Canyonlands National Park, Utah
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Lake Bled, Slovenia
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Summer solstice
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Poinsettia Day
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Summertime in Alaska
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Pont Alexandre III, Paris, France
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A valley view at 9,000 feet
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It s Bermuda s big day
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A crested partridge
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Feeling chic on Fashion Week
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Bridge to infinity