r porch; her day's work
was over. She was dressed for the afternoon. Everything in the home was
neat, sweet, clean and tidy. All serene but her face, and that was the
window through which I saw worry working overtime.

By strategy I learned the trouble, and here is her story: "Tomorrow a
lot of fruit will be ready to preserve. I am worrying where I shall put
it. My fruit closet is full."

The woman had every reason to say to herself "sufficient unto the day,"
yet she was doing the preserving mentally today and tomorrow she would
do the work physically.

A tired mind is harder to rest than a tired body, so we must nip this
advance mental work in the bud.

We have all had mental obsessions of worrying about the things we were
going to take on our trip; then worrying over the routine of our work
when we return from our trip.

If the housewife looks over her week's work and washes the dishes, makes
the beds, cooks the meals, dresses the children, mends the clothes, in
her imagination, before she does them in reality, she is indeed a hard
working woman.

It's all right to plan your work; that's economy in mental expenditure,
for it simplifies, systematizes, and saves work.

Plan your work in advance, but do not keep your mind on the plans until
the work is done.

When you have planned, then close the mental book of tomorrow's duty,
and turn to pleasures, rest, relaxation and enjoyment of today.

These little round-ups we have each evening are fine to switch the
thought current from tomorrow's duties.

It is to get a definite, different thought habit fixed, that I ask you
to give me these few minutes each day when we may consider various
phases of life, science, pleasure, morals and mental refreshment.

True we can only have a fleeting look at things, but we'll get enough, I
hope, to freshen your minds, change the humdrum, and elicit interest in
things.

Maybe these round-ups we have will help us, and keep us from working
mentally tomorrow's physical work.

If these evening talks interest you, help clear your vision, help cheer
you, help rest you, then they are good for you, and be cause they help
you they certainly benefit me and make me very happy, because happiness
comes from doing something for others.

I write as the mood strikes me, or as a phase of life comes before me,
or as an idea strikes in and just won't let go until I grasp my pen and
let the words flow.

I mean this book is human, and not a s