slowing down
Jun. 15th, 2005 08:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chelidonSome clue-taps, large and small, that it's time to slow down, simplify again, do less, and rebalance:
1. For coffee this morning, I chose to use the electric grinder instead of the hand-crank one, because the five minutes spent grinding would have made me late to get my son to his school bus. I got my coffee, but I missed my daily sensual bean-grinding ritual.
2. Because we got a little bit of a late start, and then had to hunt around for his shoes (a not-uncommon occurrence), my son and I had to hurry up our morning walk along our road to make sure we didn't miss his bus. I had to literally tell him not to stop and smell the flowers. Oi.
3. While doing some scheduling for a project last night, I discovered that the next completely unplanned weekend I have is in mid-August sometime.
4. Four and a half hours of sleep each of the last two nights. Not sustainable.
5. I've been writing an email reply to a request for advice from a friend that I've been trying to finish for a week and a half now.
6. After a lovely evening out last night with the rest of the household at Margaritas (whose margaritas were actually rather disappointing -- I'm such a margarita snob, would really rather just make my own...), one of my housemates noted that it was too rare that we all just hung out on weeknights together, and I have to agree. When you don't feel that you can take time to spend with the people you choose to live with under the same roof, something's out of whack.
7. I haven't had a haircut since December, am starting to look a bit like Carlos the International Terrorist (times are tough for Carlos, who apparently can't afford a haircut)
8. More of the same, all of them clue-taps, best attended to before they become clue-shoves and clue-bricks...
It's simplicity itself, living more simply. If you want to have more time, you have to take more time, and spend more time doing less.
So it's time for another round of simplifying.
And now I'm going to go actually cook something for lunch, instead of foraging for leftovers. And I'll eat it at the table or on the back deck while listening to some music or birdsong outside, instead of wolfing it down at my desk. After several days of sweltering (for New England) mid-80-degree days, it's actually only 53 degrees outside right now. Glorious. Perhaps I'll even put on a sweatshirt :> And then hand-grind some beans for another pot of coffee.
1. For coffee this morning, I chose to use the electric grinder instead of the hand-crank one, because the five minutes spent grinding would have made me late to get my son to his school bus. I got my coffee, but I missed my daily sensual bean-grinding ritual.
2. Because we got a little bit of a late start, and then had to hunt around for his shoes (a not-uncommon occurrence), my son and I had to hurry up our morning walk along our road to make sure we didn't miss his bus. I had to literally tell him not to stop and smell the flowers. Oi.
3. While doing some scheduling for a project last night, I discovered that the next completely unplanned weekend I have is in mid-August sometime.
4. Four and a half hours of sleep each of the last two nights. Not sustainable.
5. I've been writing an email reply to a request for advice from a friend that I've been trying to finish for a week and a half now.
6. After a lovely evening out last night with the rest of the household at Margaritas (whose margaritas were actually rather disappointing -- I'm such a margarita snob, would really rather just make my own...), one of my housemates noted that it was too rare that we all just hung out on weeknights together, and I have to agree. When you don't feel that you can take time to spend with the people you choose to live with under the same roof, something's out of whack.
7. I haven't had a haircut since December, am starting to look a bit like Carlos the International Terrorist (times are tough for Carlos, who apparently can't afford a haircut)
8. More of the same, all of them clue-taps, best attended to before they become clue-shoves and clue-bricks...
It's simplicity itself, living more simply. If you want to have more time, you have to take more time, and spend more time doing less.
So it's time for another round of simplifying.
And now I'm going to go actually cook something for lunch, instead of foraging for leftovers. And I'll eat it at the table or on the back deck while listening to some music or birdsong outside, instead of wolfing it down at my desk. After several days of sweltering (for New England) mid-80-degree days, it's actually only 53 degrees outside right now. Glorious. Perhaps I'll even put on a sweatshirt :> And then hand-grind some beans for another pot of coffee.
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:>
Date: 2005-06-15 09:06 pm (UTC)If my incessant friendly reminders finally succeed in you slowing down and taking care of yourself, I'll consider my time well spent. ;>
More of my love to you. Any coffee left?
Re: :>
Date: 2005-06-16 12:58 am (UTC)Like gardening, there's an infinite number of places and ways one can direct one's time and energy -- the trick seems to be continually weeding and pruning back to those that are most productive, that bear good fruit, that genuinely feed you.