Wake Up!

Do you ever feel like you go through life with blinders on half the time? You wake up tired with a list of things to do. You go to bed tired, you didn’t get everything done and there is even more to do tomorrow. The moments in between are spent going half blindly from morning to bedtime just trying to make it from one to the other.

I admit I use to be horrible at living life going through the motions. I still have to stop and check myself. Often. It is very easy to ‘busy’ yourself into a walking coma. A lot of time we do not realize we are walking zombies because we laugh, we cry, we love, we hurt. Don’t most creatures of nature?

So what is the difference between ‘living’ and ‘LIVING!’?  I mean we all need to learn to say “No” to obligations more often, but there is so much more to taking the blinders off. Isn’t there?

I think the difference is in the little things.

The little things DO matter. I could simply point the finger to that big piece of chocolate cake and then to my hips to prove it, but the cake is missing. How about the totally unexpected bear hug from your growing too fast baby? The rainbow in the distance after a rainy, gray day?

Wait, some of you are too young for kids or too real for rainbows. How about the difference that one extra glass of vino made between enjoyment and feeling nauseous? Or a great haircut? The thrill of finding that perfect outfit? How that one extra pound lost makes your clothes fit nicer. Chocolate?

The little thing or the little change makes ALL the difference in the world to how we live the moment. And life is about the moments.

Before you open the drawer, get the point.

When you wander around the site reading the how to articles I want you to know that this is NOT really about having a neat drawer or kitchen. It is NOT about trying to get control or a hate of all things materialistic.

It is about paying attention to the many things sucking your time and energy. It is identifying the things and chores that are keeping you from noticing the good little things. Then eliminating or reducing their impact.

It is about finding a path to a more simplified life.

Now, for some reason when you say “simplified life’ people picture ultra modern minimalistic or something from Little House on the Prairie. Many do not think about what it really means.

A more simplified life is just getting rid of all of the extra noise overwhelming you and distracting you. Once you quieten the noise, you can more easily notice the wonderful little things and. have. the. time. to. appreciate. them.

For me the path is by finding all of those lemons around my home and in my schedule and trying do something to get lemonade out of them.  I woke up and wanted to pay more attention to the good little things instead of letting them slip by. All the other tedious little things got in the way. They were just too loud. Instead of putting blinders back on to keep from being overwhelmed, I started knocking down the other things one at a time as I could. That is what is working for me.

Do you have to be organized to live a simplified life? Heck no. Maybe instead you need to adjust your standards. Or learn acceptance of some things. Maybe going minimalistic or Little House on the Prairie would work for you. Maybe dabbling just a bit with all of these or trying something completely different.

It does not matter how you get there, but wake up! Pay attention. Appreciate the little things. Spend more time doing things that are truly worthwhile to you. Learn to REALLY live the rest of your life.