A Curated Life.

Minimalism for me, is not about scarcity or deprivation. It is the opposite. My kind of Minimalism is about living an abundant, authentic life that aligns with one’s true purpose. It is a curated life.

Since the summer lock down, my family, like most others, made some changes. We spent more time in our local park, taking exercise outside, as the kids could no longer go to their usual extra curricular clubs. Ah, the extra curricular clubs. The rushing, the shouting, the snack packing, the waiting….. This was a routine we were happy to loose over lockdown and so it did not return when lockdown was lifted.

You see, I’m not the kind of person who likes change. Change for me needs to be small and gradual, so I barely notice it, otherwise I rebel and revert back to old habits, usually bad ones. The benefit of this is if change is barely noticeable you tend not to resist it and over time the new habit sticks. The draw back of this however, is that with such gradual change you are denied the impact or revelation that dramatic change can bring.
So it has been 6 months of gymnastic/kids party/dance/football free weekends and I have only just noticed the impact of this. More time. Time to be filled up with things that…,fill me up. Today I noticed that I have begun drawing and painting again (lockdown + homeschooling + working from home was not kind to my creativity), as well as producing more resources for my students at school. My weekends are slower, with time to marvel at nature and capture it in my sketchbooks. There is baking and birdwatching. There is time for lengthy phone calls with my dearest friends and my teaching days are more fulfilling knowing I am giving my my best to students.
I don’t remember the transition from relentless, over-scheduled days to replenishing, fulfilling weekends but changed has occurred none the less, and I hope it is here to stay.

Now we are in the lockdown #2 I ask you. What are you happy to let go of in your schedule? What would you like to invite into your curated life?