Dan Ekenberg | Simply Living Life
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The Weekly Spark: Original Photography & Reflections

A journal sharing one original photograph and an inspiring thought every Monday morning.

The Simply Living Life Story Featured in:
> USA Today (Living Car-Free)  > Idaho News 6 (My Bike Ride Across America) 
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Strangers, Sunsets, and the Spirit of America

11/3/2025

 
Generosity without exception...Compassion without condition
This week’s post is a little different.
I wanted to take a moment to focus on something that often gets overlooked, the incredible kindness that exists all across America, if we only slow down enough to notice it.

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Even the narrowest path can lead to the widest view

10/27/2025

 
Motivational Monday - Even the narrowest path can lead to the widest view
At Birch Bay in Washington State, there’s a simple path that leads straight from the parking lot to the beach. It’s narrow with just enough room for one person, framed by tall grass and a hint of salt in the air. You can’t see the water until the very end, but you can hear the waves calling ahead.

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Happiness or Success

10/20/2025

 
Success doesn't lead to happiness, happiness leads to success

​Happiness Leads the Way

As Fall settles in and the days grow a little shorter, it’s the perfect time to pause and reflect on what truly drives us. We often chase success, believing that once we achieve a certain goal, land that job, or reach that milestone, happiness will follow. But what if it’s actually the other way around?

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Growth starts with reflection

10/13/2025

 
growth starts with reflection
I took this photo a few years ago at Eagle Island State Park in Idaho. It was late summer, and wildfires nearby had filled the air with smoke. The haze softened everything, the light, the colors, even the sounds. The sun hung low, mirrored perfectly in the still water, and the trees stood quiet above their reflections.

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Confidence Born in Simpler Times

9/29/2025

 
Motivational Monday - Simpler times, lasting lessons
On my cross-country bike ride in 2017, I came across this piece of forgotten playground equipment in Wyoming. Standing quietly in the grass, unused yet unbroken, it stirred something familiar: a reminder of simpler times.

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