Two Day Work Week

I have always admired sim­plic­ity. I pre­fer the pos­i­tive ver­sions to those of Dio­genes the Cynic, who lived dur­ing the time of Alexan­der the Great and owned noth­ing but a cup for scoop­ing water out of the river. Sim­plic­ity must find a bal­ance in wis­dom and prac­ti­cal­ity. Extremes have a way of defeat­ing their own pur­poses.
Some years ago, I read of a young man, with a master’s degree, that lived so sim­ply that he only had to work two days per week. He was not lazy. Far from it! He made every minute count toward a qual­ity life. He bartered for a place to live (a bed and bath in exchange for some yard work). His trans­porta­tion was a bicy­cle. His two days of work for the nec­es­sary cash left him five days each week to read and explore the mys­ter­ies of life.
I wish I could have met him. I think he would be a pretty calm and wise soul. What­ever the rest of his life is about, his invest­ment in sim­plic­ity surely fol­lows him. Just think — a two day work week, and it sup­plies all that you want or need. I am sure the trick to it is care­fully eval­u­at­ing what you truly need and want. His lifestyle would not fit most oth­ers, but it does serve as an inspir­ing exam­ple.
Ever won­der how many books he has read by now? Ever won­der how many oth­ers he has inspired to have less and be more? Ever won­der if he has a wry smile as he bicy­cles past the gas stations?