simple living

Let’s get together

Robert Borneff Lifestyle , , , 0 Comment
Let’s get together

What’s better than getting together with friends and family? Our kids have parties all the time. We need to open up to our colleagues, friends and neighbors. We should enlarge our circle of friends. Our homes are not made to be hiding places. Any time spent with friends and family is worth the effort of serving a meal and creates happiness.

Keep it simple

A dinner party should always be gathering of like-minded people. Only invite guests that you really want to have around yourself and of whom you believe that they are interested in one another. Eight, ten people are a good size, so everyone can talk with each other.

Choose a one course meal that you are familiar with. Certainly you can choose something easy, like pasta. That is always a hit!. You may serve it with a soup to start, a salad on the side and a dessert afterwards. Important are good bread, butter, and olive oil for munching. If you choose to work with a catering service, the atmosphere could be a little bit like in a restaurant. Not as precious and authentic as home prepared food. It does not matter if you have been standing in the kitchen for one hour or ten. The only thing that counts is that it tastes good.

Relax! It’s not a competition

To ease the stress the best thing is to prepare the day before; calm and with leisure. The whole thing is supposed to be a pleasure. The host belongs to the table and not in the kitchen; the guests want to enjoy their host! Therefore  you might prefer stewed or oven-baked dishes over au-point cooked dishes. Comfort food is always popular.  Soups can be prepared the evening before, desserts anyway. Personally I am a fan of Hungarian Goulash, which tastes better every time you warm it up.

Be careful with experiments. It can be fun to try out dishes the first when you have guests, but you will need a back-up plan in case something goes wrong. You don’t have to apologize to your guests but you need a trick for the show to go on.

Have a great time

You are the life of the party! It’s your turn to get the party started! Just do not rush! Invite your guests early so they can mingle and snack on nuts and appetizers before the dinner starts.

Instead of serving each dinner on plates it shows more generosity to serve “family style”, which means everybody helps himself from the pots and plates. That makes it also easier for the guests to open up to their neighbor. And the host can devote himself to his highest duty: to enjoy the evening.

Party more and stress less! Hosting small casual parties does not have to be stressful. You’ll probably have a lot of time to enjoy the party with your guest. People will appreciate your effort and hospitality. Over the delicious food and great conversation you may look forward to the next get together.

Benefits of a Minimalistic Lifestyle

Robert Borneff Lifestyle , , , 0 Comment
Benefits of a Minimalistic Lifestyle

During the last recession a lot of people got worried about their financial future. For some peple this changed their lifes for the better. They have learned to live within their means. Don’t live in a house that’s too expensive for you; don’t get into debt for spending too much. Always pay your bills. Make life much simpler than it used to be. Appreciate the people around you, enjoy the beauty of nature and find time to do the things you are passionate about.

In short: Live a better quality life without the hassles of buying and spending. This can be considered a “Minimalistic Lifestyle”. Here are some benefits of this lifestyle:

  1. Being your true self and relaxed:

Your self-worth is not connected to your belongings anymore. You are valued as a personality and not as an owner of things. You escaped the cycle of debt and overwork and you live relaxed.

  1. Cherish relationships.

Since you are not constantly maintaining, fixing and storing your possessions, you find time to play with your kids and visit friends and family. You may also be able to volunteer in your community and be grateful for what it offers to you.

  1. Value the work of others

You become aware that cheap manufacturing is at the cost of those in poverty working overtime under unbearable conditions. You are choosing your purchases wisely respecting the work of others.

  1. Protect the environment

Your lifestyle saves energy, water and resources. You are aware of the destructive powers of industrialization. Your lifestyle contributes to the use of renewable energy, sustainable grown wood and responsible agriculture.

  1. Strengthen neighborhoods and communities

Your lifestyle supports local businesses and communities. You are an active part of your community and you exchange your gifts and talents with the people around you. You are accepted and you enjoy the fruits of the community.

  1. Agree with of words of Henry David Thoreau:

    “I make myself rich by making my wants few“

 

 

The Little Things in Life

Robert Borneff Lifestyle , , , 0 Comment
The Little Things in Life

Isn’t it amazing how seemingly unimportant things can sometimes make your day. Besides accomplishing goals and reaching targets, there are very often coincidences on the sideline that change everything. I remember sitting in school classes that would not end and there was this little bird outside the window sitting on a tree. My thoughts turned to the bird and how he enjoys his freedom and the time in class went by much faster.

Or did you ever eat the perfectly ripe Mango. Buying Mango is like playing the lottery. They often look good and smell good, but when you cut them open, they still taste sour and are chewy. Other times they are already turning brown inside and have that taste of fermentation. What a great day is it when your Mango turns out to be sweet and juicy.

I remember in college missing my train on those cold, wet, foggy days in Germany. While I was standing there on the tracks looking for the next connection the sun came out and I realized that I am an hour early anyway, because I forgot to change my watch from day-light-savings-time to winter time. What a great day!

In our busy lifes we often overlook the important things that have an impact on us. Last year I joined the Roanoke Valley Bird Club together with my son. Standing there in the quiet forest listening and watching the birds, it is amazing to realize what’s around you that you would never realize this otherwise.

With this experience in mind I started to pay more attention to the things on the sideline of my life. Now I see the world around me more mindful. During a yoga class outside in a park I was able to follow the hunt of a hawk for a smaller bird. Thankfully it did not end in bloodshed but to hear the shrieks of the hawk and see the two birds chasing each other in the sky was incredible. I was probably the only one in our yoga group who recognized this spectacle.

Try it out! Start paying attention to the things you normally don’t see. Sit in your living room and look around. Take a walk around your neighborhood. Turn off your phone and just enjoy the moment. You will be surprised about the world around you!

Snooze to be well

Robert Borneff Lifestyle , , , 0 Comment
Snooze to be well

How are you? Are you feeling good today? Did you have a good night sleep? We all know that sleeping enough is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. It can benefit your heart, your body, your mind and much, much, more. You can even learn better when you sleep enough, because your brain strengthens and retains memories that you gained while you were awake. That means the presentation or the music piece you practiced in the evening  will turn out better in the morning.  People that don’t sleep enough can even become depressive. In summary, we can say that a good day starts the night before.

But many of us don’t get enough sleep.  The days are just not long enough. Long working hours, late night travelling, personal stress, and small children are all factors that keep our beds empty at night.  Personally I am not a friend of sleeping pills and that’s why I looked for alternative ways to help me fall to sleep:

  1. Don’t push too hard

Very often sensitive and well disciplined people tend to ponder about falling to sleep.  If you think about falling to sleep, you are already standing in your own way. Just let the sandman come whenever he is ready.  This works when you are tired, but not if you need to sleep, because you need to get up early the next day.

  1. Night time routines

It may help to adapt some habits which have to be repeated every night. This way the body gets used to the ceremony of going to bed. Writing a diary could be helpful. The imagination of being at the beach or elsewhere on vacation while laying in bed may also work. Even a routine of reading before falling to sleep is helpful, as long as it is short. Works for me!

  1. Be a Night Warrior

If you have a hard time sleeping, don’t go to bed until you are really tired. With a couple of short nights you may find better sleep in a couple of days. Always a good one!

Important: No TV in the bedroom! The blue screen light prevents deep sleep.

  1. Take it as it is

Some people always sleep well, others don’t. People that accept that they are not like a groundhog often have less stress about sleeping. I have adapted to the fact that sleeping is not my favorite thing.

  1. Relax during the day

Don’t rack your brain with fears and sorrows during the day. Most likely they will follow you to bed. End your day being assured that you have done all, what you could do. For me this works only, when I am not too nervous about the challenges ahead.  What then helps me is Reiki and things are much better.

  1. Change the game – Think Positive

Switch from worrying to problem solving. When your head is busy finding solutions, there is less room for worry. The negative effect that prevents sleep gets buffered by the problem solving thoughts.

To master this switch it helps to appreciate your daily accomplishments. Regarding the undone things you should have a plan to get you in a positive prevailing mood. Don’t bring unwished business home with you mentally.

  1. Don’t drink too much

Low quantities of alcohol support sleep, but too much will prevent deep sleep and wake you up in the middle of the night. People over 40 like me should generally stop drinking before going to bed to avoid numerous trips to the bathroom.

And now it is time for

Good Night…

Source: Welt N24; So schlafen Sie abends besser ein; 07.26.2016

Simple Living

Robert Borneff Lifestyle , , , 0 Comment

You may think “Why is there a post about Simple Living on a Blog about Furniture and Interior Design?

The reason is that a growing number of people realize that chasing the Golden Egg does not make you happy. Long working hours, stressful jobs, exhausting commutes are just not worth it anymore. People prefer spending time with their family, being together with friends and neighbors or working out in Mother Nature. They like to spend time preparing for a good meal and be part of what their kids are doing.

I am not talking here about hippie communes or lonesome hermits in the middle of nowhere. More and more people rethink their life and choose different priorities than before. The idea of simple living is almost 3000 years old and can be found in every civilization. The famous Bohemians in Paris in the 19th Century were part of this movement.

Simple living does not mean you have to refrain from luxury but enjoy it. Luxury is great as long as money plays a minor role. Being happy and grateful – That’s what’s important.

Simple living is also about the little things in life. Things you would not even recognize doing like enjoying the foliage of the forest in the fall on a hike.

This way of life creates different expectations from retail stores. These people don’t storm in the store every time the sales sign goes up.

In my opinion these customers value their time and want something different out of their visit.

Some of them may come, because food is offered (think of Ikea). Others may be attracted by events for the kids, like a puppet theater, a magician or a crafting table.

These customers prefer to enjoy the merchandise, not necessarily with a buying intention in mind. Some may be inspired by the store layout and develop design ideas for their home.

Some Boutique Stores also mix up their merchandise with art, jewelry, shoes, food, cosmetics and table ware. The stores have a special type of customer in mind and cater exactly to his taste.

There are many ways to increase traffic in a store, but to find out what fits best, you have ask the customer. People like it, when their opinion is valued. The customer feels taken care of. The customer feels in control and that creates trust.

The good news about trusting customers: They may become loyal to your store and you see them again and again.