Recommended reading on rescuing us from  house perfection, and books about organizing your spirit, how to downsize the family home, and inspiring spiritual stories. —————————————————————— Originally Published June 1, 2004 -- Your Wellness Guide Read Your Way To A Balanced Life -- Summer 2004 Book Picks —————————————————————— Comfortable temperatures, cheery sunlight, and vacation downtime allow us thoughtful use of our time for reflection and renewal.  Here are my summer reading book picks for 2004. Practical Rescue If you are fed up with the constant consumerism attitude and want to find support in living a more practical life, Rescue Magazine is a new, classy periodical that sports a promising new attitude.  Created by “Anti-Makeoverist” Dan Ho, the publication’s effort is built upon giving you relief from house, food, and garden perfection. Ho says “Our aim with the magazine is to introduce our readers to ways that uncomplicate their lives while in no way reducing their style standards.”  Recently referred to as the “Anti-Martha Stewart,” Ho says he’s not against having the good things in life but rather not conforming to a idealist-world prescription -- so evident in today’s many lifestyle magazines. In the June/July 2004 issue, you find such thought-provoking articles as “The Relief Process,”  encouraging and teaching you how to wash your windows instead of replacing them with new ones; “Tuna Sandwich With Ginger,” a remarkably real-world view of building a sophisticated-taste, yummy sandwich; “Delicious, Disorganized, So What?”, a front-runner critique about how it’s okay to have a bunch of jumbled newspaper and magazine recipes in an old tin box.  Subscribe for $19.95 at www.rescuemag.com for six issues per year. Organizing Benefits We’ve seen so many de-cluttering and organizing books over the last five years that you wouldn’t think there was room for anything new.  Yet, Sunny Schlenger’s Organizing for the Spirit (May 2004, $14.95) is a breath of fresh air. Schlenger has always taken a different approach, promoting that each individual has his own organizing style and needs.  Her new book helps you take stock of all aspects of your life, identify what really matters, and then set priorities. For example, you end up knowing what your stuff means to you, how it helps or hinders you, and what you can do to make that stuff be part of your personal development. An easy read, “Organizing for the Spirit is about achieving harmony between our inner and outer selves,” says the author. Downsizing Your Life These days, a groundbreaking theme is the need to rid yourself of excess and get to substance.  Moving On: A Practical Guide to Downsizing the Family Home by Linda Hetzer and Janet Hulstrand (May 2004, $15.95) is an excellent resource book for those wanting to move from a bigger home to smaller surroundings, what to do if you’re a couple whose children have recently left the nest and you want to downsize, how to clear out the house after a death in the family, or the best way for an elderly parent to get ready to move in with a son or daughter. In every case, you have to know what to do with the stuff of life, like accumulated family possessions, unneeded household items, and family heirlooms. Moving On has terrific checklists, planning tools, and how to avoid squabbling among relatives. Spirituality at Every Turn The cover says it all in this interesting page turner, Unlikely Ways Home: Real-Life Spiritual Detours by Edward L. Beck (available July 2004, $21.95).  More than we all publicly admit, we turn to God or a higher power for faith, guidance, support, and help.  The book is a series of 12 stories about real people who turn to God in order to make it through life.  Beck, a Roman Catholic priest of the Passionist Community, is an excellent journalist and storyteller whose thoughts appeal to both a Catholic audience and the general reader. Unlikely leaves you inspired that every person has the right and necessity to connect with deity in making it through life, especially through the tough times.  As a result, you might take a second look at how much you allow spirituality to occupy and guide your life -- tough times or not. Terra Wellington is a national authority on creating a wellness lifestyle.  www.terrawellington.com  © Copyright Terra Wellington