When I left Bhutan, I brought home a simple mantra: Simplify my life. It sounded so right. So obvious. So necessary.

But once I got home, I realized I didn’t have the faintest idea how to do it. I’m not even sure I know what it means. It’s one thing to clean out a closet or cancel a few subscriptions, but surely that’s not what the Bhutanese had in mind when they spoke of simplicity.

So, for now, I’m floundering. Groping my way toward something I can feel but not yet define.

Small Steps, Maybe in the Right Direction

Since returning from Bhutan, a few things have shifted—tiny things, but they feel significant.

First, I’ve hardly watched any TV in two and a half weeks. No football games. No hockey. No CNN. No local news. No late-night talk shows. Maybe a movie or two, but that’s it.

Before my trip, the television was on almost 24/7 in the background. It filled the silence. Now, I’m letting silence have its turn. The quiet feels both strange and good.

Second, I’m spending two and a half weeks in Marin County in California, renting an Airbnb near my son, his family, and my stepdaughter’s family.

It’s intentional. I wanted more day-to-day time with them—time that isn’t about holidays or special occasions, but ordinary hours with them and my grandkids. It’s a conscious shift in priorities. Maybe this, too, is part of simplifying.

And finally, I keep thinking about wonder. The kind I see in the wide eyes of my six-month-old grandson, Jamie.

Every time he locks eyes with a ceiling fan, a light bulb, or a face, it’s as if he’s seeing a miracle. Watching him, I find myself opening my own eyes wider—to really see again. Maybe simplicity starts there: with wonder.

What Does “Simplify” Mean, Really?

I keep coming back to the question: What does it actually mean to simplify?

• Is it about owning less, doing less, or just wanting less?
• Is it about slowing down, or about focusing more?
• Maybe it’s about quieting the noise—both outside and inside.

When I was in Bhutan, I met a monk who said something that keeps echoing in my head: “Happiness means inner peace. From that inner peace, it allows me to give compassion to others.” Maybe that’s the secret. Simplifying enough to find inner peace—and then letting that peace flow outward.

A Work in Progress (and an Invitation)

So here I am, two and a half weeks back, still trying to figure it out. I’m not writing this as someone who’s mastered simplicity—far from it. I’m writing this as someone who’s fumbling toward it, making small adjustments, noticing what changes and what doesn’t.

If you’ve found ways to simplify your own life—big or small—I’d love to hear them. How do you define it? What have you done that brought you closer to peace, or to wonder?

Bhutan gave me the mantra. Now I’m hoping life, and maybe a few of you, will help me learn what it means.