"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 Moth Week
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Take me to the river
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Dog days of summer
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Angkor, Cambodia
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Pi Day
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Mysterious prairie mounds abound
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Where the bearded reedling sings
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Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California
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Lake Peipus, Estonia
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Merry and bright
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Ready, set, read
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Sunrise at Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
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Vale of Edale, Peak District, England
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World Meteorological Day
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Great Backyard Bird Count
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Wilderness Act anniversary
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Native American Heritage Day
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Happy St. Patricks Day!
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Hanging out on a limb
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Art over Amalfi
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International Day for Monuments and Sites
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Up, up, and away for Hot Air Balloon Day
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Celebrating 200 years of statehood
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A winter wonderland in Northeast China
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A tree amid the Tetons
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The Twin Cities celebrate Pride
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Staring down winter
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Diwali lights in Guwahati, India
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Death Valley National Park, California
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Kissing Day
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