So Now You Have A LOT of Time on Your Hands...

It seems appropriate to jump over to discussing Simple Living as applied to everyday life and how we manage our time on a daily basis, now that things are s l o w i n g down.

In light of recent world events, it seems appropriate to jump forward to talking about Living Simply....time management! The question is what do you do now with all this newly acquired time on your hands?? In the everyday of Living Simply, making time to just be is important, vital even, so the natural slowing down is welcome when you've been working towards simplifying your life. But now, under the current circumstances we are all facing, a whole lot of people are being forced to stay in, slow down, stop busy behaviors, and just be!

Welcome or not, it is here so let's talk a bit now about this idea of slowing down your life so perhaps you can fully partake of this moment, this forced slow down, and maybe enjoy some much needed down time, seeing the positives and reconnecting with yourself and others.

First, welcome it. I know, it is a twist to it all but having to slow down and be in your life paying attention to each moment of your day (we could call this compulsory mindful living!) is actually a blessing. I am sure everyone has at some point said they wished they had more time to.....insert whatever you might....and now, this gift of time is here, thrust upon us with extenuating circumstances yes, but still here. So why not make the very best of it!? When else might you get 2 or 3 or 4 weeks to be fully in your life!? "Social distancing", limiting excursions and shopping, perhaps even staying inside is difficult, but there is a whole flip side to it all. The time you get to just be!

Second, try getting to that "I wish had more time to do....." list. Whether there are household projects (I just moved so my home improvement list is being tackled quite nicely, thank you!), or self-improvement ideas, a dream to-do list, or something on your bucket list, the possibilities are endless! Read books you've always wanted, or learn to bake, maybe begin writing the next great novel, or learning a new language, perhaps take an on-line course or two! For those with children at home during this time, it may feel overwhelming but what fun and I know we all wish we had more time for them! I personally work from home and home school, so my daughter and I are tied at the hip and I wouldn't have it any other way! I realize daily how lucky we are and am eternally grateful, so knowing others may now get to have this experience for a moment is exciting! It is amazing to just be around your child all day, unfiltered, observing their unique perspective and life energy! It is truly awesome. So, perhaps relax and just enjoy their company. Making it fun will lead to an amazing couple of weeks turning the unknown into a life-long memory!

Third, there is no better time than the present to reconnect with nature. What a great opportunity to spend time each day outside playing or hiking or gardening or just being still....watching, observing, breathing, calming....in nature. We as a society have most certainly lost touch with Mother Nature and to be given this time to spend outside, being a part of all that is greater than us really lends perspective on this whole moment. We went hiking again today (so pretty out during Spring!) and my thought was how the birds and groundhogs and deer weren't worried or concerned about any flu, they weren't running around stocking up on stuff, googling the stock market results, or frantically preparing for some unknown fear. No, they were focused on Spring and our craziness, what we felt as important, had no bearing on their world. I liked that. It was reassuring and calming to remember this is only a moment and a whole lot of other things much larger than myself were working just fine! Nature will do that if you spend some time in it and the win-win is if we experience more of nature and bond in this manner, maybe just maybe, we humans will start taking better care of our Earth!

Finally, us time! As women, we certainly do a lot of taking care of others each day and by the end of it, there may be no time left to do anything for ourselves! Self care is vital so with this new found time, perhaps add yourself to the to-do list! Make sure to take ample time to take care of yourself in these next few weeks whether meditating or doing an on-line yoga class (check out www.gaia.com) or journaling or giving yourself a toxin-free mani-pedi, plan some time for your needs. It will be good practice for when the day comes again that we begin "life as usual"!

Remember, perspective matters and although we can not control the events unraveling, we do have a choice in what we do with our thoughts and behaviors and attitudes. We can choose peace and calm and postivity and be a calming presence during the chaos. We do not need to add or participate in the seemingly crazy fear driven things we may be hearing or reading. Instead, we can practice Simple Living and enjoy this moment, for it too shall (unfortunately?!) pass!