Are you new to simple living and minimalism? Me too! I’m somewhere around my 5 month mark of making this lifestyle an official decision. It’s been really wonderful so far, but last Saturday I did something for the first time since making this thing official.
I went shopping. At the mall.
[Insert moment of silence.]
You did what?!?
I know. I know. I know. THE MALL?! Isn’t that the last place a minimalist should go?! AHHH!
Alright. I’ll tell you all about my ill-fated plans. Here goes…
Yep. We cancelled Netflix. For almost two months, we’ve been TV free, for the most part. I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant when Carl first suggested canceling, because canceling meant taking away one of the last sources of distraction we had left. That was scary. It meant, no more excuses. Without TV, we would be gaining about 12 extra hours a week to work on our various projects and goals. That idea was exciting, but not having an excuse to fall back on made me uncomfortable and brought up old thoughts of not being good enough. What if we gained these extra hours and I worked on my projects and I put them out there and no one likes them? What if people think I’m not any good?
I finished reading Zero Waste Home a couple weeks ago and I loved it! When I first discovered Bea Johnson, via The Lively Show and Slow Home Podcast, I was a little intimidated to say the least. I looked at where I was and where she was, [her family of four fits all of their trash for an entire year into a mason jar] and could not envision how anyone could possibly do that - and still have a life.
I’m all for reducing our waste and slowing down/ simplifying, but I don’t want to just live in a tent somewhere like a hermit. [Although, now that I’m typing this - that sounds quite appealing, at least for a short time.] Turns out, that was quite an unfair assessment. When I started looking into how she actually does this, I was surprised to see how chic she was and how gorgeous her home was! Whoa - ok - I can reduce my waste and consumption without sacrificing living well - SOLD.
I want THIS in my backyard before the mosquitos overtake it.
Cool visual representation of data collection
"Judgement kills off connection." Julia Butterfly Hill sharing a ton of #TruthBombs
Over the last year I have learned more than I could ever fully express. I’ve read books, listened to books, watched/ listened to Ted talks, watched YouTube, and listened to COUNTLESS podcasts on and about EVERYTHING under the sun. I have fully embraced my love of learning and have been a complete sponge this last year, letting myself follow one rabbit after the other.
For More Insights Into Living Intentionally
