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Tag: intentional

  • A week in the slow lane

    A week in the slow lane

    I spent this past week away from home and looking after my adult daughter who had a knee reconstruction on Monday.  The rehabilitation process demands she walks on her injured leg and she started that immediately following surgery.  This means she still walks; but she is slow.

    I laughed with her the first day joking that God had allowed her to snap her ligament so she would slow up and allow her soul catch up with her body.  We both knew that the past few years her pace has been fast.  First the injury and now the necessary surgery has slowed her down.  As her carer that meant that I too had to go slow.   

    Getting out the door from the third-floor apartment, down the three flights of stairs and into my car parked on the street took considerably longer than normal for both of us.  Meeting up with people elsewhere for a coffee or a meal required us to leave much earlier to allow time for her to walk slowly.  There was no point in being impatient. In fact, impatience could undo all the good work of surgery and healing. Being pushed in a wheelchair or taking off on crutches was not an option either as her healing depends on her using her muscles and walking; just slowly.

    I love spending time with my daughter so visiting the local coffee shop recently opened by friends of hers was no chore. There was no popping in for a quick coffee however. The sheer effort of getting there and back as well as the luxury of her being on medical leave, meant we could linger.  There is something special about lingering over a good coffee with friends; sprawled out on cushioned seating, leaning against the wall awash in the morning light and its warmth.  Even now I remember the scene as if the slower pace permitted the enjoyment of the experience to permeate my soul.

    This slower pace necessitated setting priorities for each day. There was no way we could schedule multiple outings and had to be content with a slower pace.  Even my exercise this week seemed to reinforce the message to slow down.  I took the opportunity to use my daughter’s membership and attended two classes of ‘Hot Pilates’. While the exercise includes moments of high intensity it is balanced out with intentional deep breathing and stretching. 

    As I write this, I recall a book I purchased many years ago. Carl Honor wrote “In Praise of Slowness” in which he challenges the cult of speed, our addiction to speed and our obsession to do everything so quickly.  I acknowledge that I have been guilty of the same love affair with efficiency and speed.

    I have also lifted down from the bookshelf another book by a Christian author Richard J. Foster called “Finding Harmony in a Complex World: Freedom of Simplicity.”  I am drawn to the potential of a life in unhurried peace and power. 

    My one week in the slow lane has given me food for thought.  Perhaps it is time to reread these books and put into practice some of the suggestions.  This week has hinted at a life with depth, deep breathing and unhurried experiences.  Maybe it’s time to start a love affair with slowness and simplicity as well as minimalism.   

    “Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it”. Soren Kierkegaard.

    Photo by SnapbyThree MY on Unsplash

  • An Accidental Minimalist

    An Accidental Minimalist

    My husband and I moved cities this year so he could be closer to the university he is studying at.  We did the maths and decided to buy a little house instead of rent.  As this home was both an investment and a short-term home, we made a conscious decision to move just enough possessions into it so that we may live and study. We left behind all our ‘stuff’ in the large family home on acreage, intending to return on weekends. 

    I had not considered the concept of minimalism until I set about purchasing a new fridge.  When I chose the small and cheap fridge I realised that I did not have the space to purchase bulk groceries, as I was used to.  I made a choice that day that we would live day to day with just essentials.  Did I just become an accidental minimalist? 

    What I found sobering was how much we did not miss the stuff we left behind in cupboards in our family home. We also took items from the family home to furnish the new home without a ripple in the decor.  Essential personal items were chosen for their portability and were carried with us when we returned home for the weekend. 

    What started out to be a practical decision became a liberating experience. I was awakened to the benefits of minimalism. The dilemma now is what am I going to do with all the ‘stuff’ in the family home? I have not missed it nor have I needed it.  Do I have sufficient momentum or energy to purge, declutter and become a genuine minimalist? 

    I see two obstacles. One is detaching from the memories of past roles and interests and the other is the hard work of disposing of it without just dumping it.  We have a games and puzzle cupboard leftover from the years we raised our family.  I have a sewing and craft cupboard that is full of projects and materials.  There is a kitchen and pantry full of catering and cooking equipment.  And a cupboard full of spare linen.  And that is without starting in the library or the shed. 

    Seventeen years ago, we sold up or gave away almost everything we owned before moving overseas.  I was much younger then and very focused; perhaps even ruthless.  Our children were eight and ten at the time.  They were left with one suitcase of clothes, one briefcase of school work and one box of special items, including toys.  As a family, we were never so free to go wherever we were called.    

    We came back, we settled into a house and we started to accumulate ‘stuff’ very quickly.  Before long the suitcase grew larger, as did the box and the books. New hobbies and new adventures mean more stuff and more storage. The children grew up, left home and left their ‘stuff’. And here I am owning more than I ever have in my life.   

    Whether accidental or intentional, I think minimalism is a fantastic goal.  However, my overwhelming task and question is “how do I dispose of the ‘stuff’ well’?  My kids sure don’t want it!

    photo by Florian Klauer