You know how when you talk a big game about doing something, you get called to the mat pretty quickly to do it? Yeah, that happened.
I was all set to talk about our minimalist schedule and how we say no to everything and never leave our house and live so calm and peacefully. And then there was this week.
My newborn baby boy turned ten without my permission. Despite my best efforts at cancelling October to avoid this impending fact, he went ahead and crossed over into double digits. Naughty boy. He played his first lacrosse game on his birthday. We went to Moe’s for dinner.
This was after spending Monday making an Athena costume. And then going to the Young Life banquet Tuesday night. And now it’s Halloween with all its festivities.
Life happens. We all have obligations, needs, errands, meetings, demands we make and that are made on us. Some things we just can’t escape.
But we do have a choice about how to live. We can say no. We can create more margin. We can take a step of faith to avoid the Crazy Busy life that has become the norm for the world. To step back and look deeply at the things that matter and make choices that fall in line with our hopes and dreams for our life.
I skipped days 29 and 30 of 31 Days and I’m letting that go. Who says I’m behind?
More than anything this month, I wanted us to look at our lives and just think about how we live: are we passive participants in what life brings us, or mindful activists who live with thought and intention? It applies to all areas of our life: Food, Input, Stuff, and Schedule. We have a choice about how to live.
Sage Grayson commented earlier this week about how the word simple often gets lumped with shallow. She wondered, is there a way to live simply and deep? I think so.
I truly believe that if we live mindfully and strive to eliminate all the excess that crowds our life, we can enjoy the things that matter most to us. Our hearts and minds aren’t in competition with the constant input and obligations that so many accept as normal in life. We don’t have to lay down and believe that we have to eat garbage because we are tired and don’t feel like nourishing ourselves well. We don’t have to feel obligated to use facebook or instagram to be connected to people. We don’t have to fill our homes and closets with more more more to feel satisfied. And we don’t have to rush from one thing to another simply to keep our kids happy and our schedules full.
We have a choice about how to live. I want to choose to live mindfully, and minimally. To live my life to the fullest and enjoy the pleasant places God has given to me.
What about you?
This is day 31 of my series, 31 Days of Mindful Minimalism. Thanks for joining me on the journey!