"I would rather be able to appreciate things I cannot have than to have things I am not able to appreciate." Elbert Hubbard

Elbert Hubbard founded Roycroft, an Arts and Crafts community near Buffalo, NY that celebrated the pride that craftspeople have in their personal handiwork. He edited and published two magazines in the late 1800s, The Philistine and The Fra. The Philistine was bound in brown butcher paper and full of satire and whimsy. (Hubbard himself quipped that the cover was butcher paper because "There is meat inside.").

Take a moment to inventory all that you have and make sure that it’s just what you need. Simplify your life and limit your possessions so that your spirit can soar and appreciate all that you have. Then you’ll have time and energy to notice and appreciate the fine work that is done around you, and to comment on it to those responsible. Appreciating those things enriches your life, letting others know reinforces theirs. Try to avoid having and holding onto things that you don’t need, don’t want or don’t appreciate – that’s just excess baggage that slows you down and holds you back. Think of your world as being wrapped in Hubbard’s butcher paper – and make sure everything in there is as meaningful and good as it can be.