What is slowing down?

So what is slowing down? I think it comes in many forms and guises. It's often called simplifying, downshifting, going green, hippyfying (I made that one up), you can get the picture. Its basically going basic. Step by step, eliminating all the consumer driven nonsense from our lives or 'shedding the fluff'. It also seems to involve a re-centering of your life too, looking seriously at what is actually important, what makes you happy, and what your true values are.

I read somewhere that a good thing to do is to imagine yourself at your own funeral. What would you like people to be saying about you? Your partner? Your children? Your friends? This can be a really big wake up call if you then stop to think about how you are living now and if you are actually living up to you own values. I have tried to do this a couple of times but shied away from actually applying what I discovered to my life because it was just too hard to even think about, I would need to change so much! Not a great thought. I think I will leave that one for, say a years time, when I am further on my fluff shedding journey.

For me slowing down means a change from my current way of life. Yes, I am one of those people who rarely (if ever) cook or even eat at home, who work stupid hours, feel like I have really achieved something spectacular for the week when I have actually managed to get up to date with my washing for once, and recently about the only exercise I get is walking out to my car in the morning. I have to admit I have been in a bit of a laziness spiral for the last few months on those fronts but am going to drag myself out of it!

Its a sort of horrible disease that you catch when you live in a big city. Laziness is so EASY. Why take your lunch when there are 5 cafes within a 2 minute walking distance with a range of tempting hot or cold delights? Why walk or bus when its so much faster to drive? Plus you don't have to wear sensible shoes or clothing if you are only outside fro a maximum of 10 minutes a day. Easy. One little act of laziness makes the next one so much easier, and everyone else is doing it!

But laziness leads to needing more and more money. Needing more money means more work, in a job. More working in a job leads to more stress, leads to less time, leads to a desire for convenience, more laziness.

I want my life to be simpler. More basic. But less convenient. Convenience is bad.  I'm going to write a list, I love lists, and this one is going to be my big picture aims for to starting to simplify my life (in no particular order):

• Make as much as I possibly can from scratch
• Grow as much of my own food as I can
• Strengthen my sense of family and community
• Minimise the amount of money that I need to live my life
• Maximise the fun in every day, and share it

That gives me something to work on!