The Three Rules of Home

'm going to take this quote from Einstein and see how to apply it to my home, or my personal space and life in general.
1. Out of clutter, find simplicity. I love that one. I'm all for being simple. I find clutter at my desk, work or home, to be distracting. I find that I am more focused if my area is clean and orderly. If I see too many piles, even if they are organized piles, it makes me want to deal with them instead of what I should be doing some where else. Out of sight, out of mind. But better yet is to not have them at all. Whatever it may be. Stuff weighs you down mentally.
2. From discord, find harmony. Okay, if you have no control over the clutter or someone else in your environment keeps creating more as soon as you get rid of it, you have one of two options. First leave it, let it flow over you like a river and say to yourself, "I can leave that half full cup of milk on the table, or that used tissue on the floor, or that dirty sock on the couch. It is not important to stress about it if whoever put or left it there is not stressed." OR....you could look at life around you as the fabric in a memory quilt of sense images... what? ...memory marks my mom would say. For example, don't get mad about the tracks of ballpoint pen on the leather couch, smile and think about how artistic your two year old is and how lucky he is to have ample use of his arms and hands. Smile, breath...relax.
3. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. This could apply to a lot of situations right now. In this down-turn of the economy it makes people get creative, grow or die I hear all the time now. Difficult times makes one re-think alot of things that we may have become too comfortable with. It shakes things up a bit.

great prefab article

http://www.dwell.com/articles/plan-of-steel.html

Does your home make you happy?

Do you smile when you walk in the door? Chances are no, or maybe sometimes. Wouldn't it be great to love coming home for more than just the typical reasons? I love coming home becasue it means I will shortly join my husband and son for dinner and a few hours of play time and relaxing before going to bed. I don't necessarily love coming home because of my "home". I'm intriqued by this fairly new field of design I read about last year that mixes science and art: neuroarchitecture. It seems like a no-brainer, but why aren't we doing it more? Why aren't we happy in our homes? Why do we put up with the most basic of comforts being so-so when they could be great. And good for our well-being as well. It's basically how elements of light, space and room layout can affect your mind and body's health. Right now my family rents a house, so maybe I feel deep down it's not worth my time and effort to do anything that's not considered permanent or mine for the long term. I know some people though who own their homes that still have moving boxes around and haven't hung pictures on the walls years later. Why don't we take care of our inner well-being as much as our outward appearance to the world? What steps do we need to take?