Do you remember the Choose Your Own Adventure book series?
I sure do.
Back in the days of the Watsontown Library, I entered many a summer reading contest; my main competition was Debbie Miller, whose mom was the librarian. The two of us battled for top honors; she usually won and I would chalk my defeat up to the fact that she was connected (when Debbie graduated 1st in our class and I didn't make the top ten, I officially gave up on that theory).
The prizes were B. Dalton gift certificates: 1st place, $50; 2nd place, $25. The moment my grubby little hands palmed that certificate, I began to calculate my purchase. Because I was a quantity over quality kid, I maximized my reading potential by purchasing only CYOA books with my prize monies: each book had a seemingly endless combination of stories and better yet, its design granted me control.
I like to think I've evolved over the course of twenty years, but let's face it - I'm still a control freak. Although my recent marriage proves I'm all about quality these days, I'm still a lot like my childhood self: I like to be in the driver's seat (much like Team Celine). Lately however, it feels like my car is on autopilot but I'm not the one who programmed it. Life is growing more and more complicated but does it have to be that way?
Maybe not - at least that's the message in Karim Rashid's book, Design Yourself. His book reminds me of an adult version of a CYOA book in that its message urges the reader to design a life centered on simplicity. A leading contemporary designer, Rashid offers a lovely marriage of text and images; his simple, easy maxims offer much insight into not just how we can design the physical space in our lives but it infers how we can apply those design concepts to what matters most in our lives: ourselves.
Later in the week I'll share a few of those maxims with you; I meant to do it today but in a grand attempt to simplify my life, I mistakenly tossed the notes I took while reading his book at the EBPL.
I know, I know - I'm a work in progress. It takes time...
thumb's up on being in the driver's seat... something that always struck my father-in-law as odd but is a must have in my household, most times.
ReplyDeleteall about quality rather than quantity