[originaltext]Passage One: I had achieved the so-called American Dream to a

Passage One:
    I had achieved the so-called American Dream to a large extent by my late thirties. My husband and I lived in Los Angeles, where I practiced law. I earned a six-figure income and enjoyed the expensive clothes and vacations that my salary afforded. I was respected in my profession. But after ten years of practicing law, I started to question everything. What kind of contribution was I making to society? How would I feel at retirement looking back on my career? After considerable soul searching and journal writing, I concluded that I did not want to spend the next 30 years of my life helping people fight each other.
Passage Two:
    It was interesting to look at what processes or events led people to adopt a simpler lifestyle. There were a number of people who chose simplicity after experiencing a serious illness or death of a loved one. We know that these events often get people to stop, think, and take stock of their lives. Other people decided to live more simply so that they could spend more time raising their children. But I think the presence of stress and lack of time were the dominant motivating factors that led people to simplicity.