This week we shared an article on how we have killed the weekend. We are so busy being busy that we have forgotten that a weekend is a break from being busy and a couple of days without a packed schedule.
In case you missed it, here’s the link.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/may/06/who-killed-the-weekend
The article hit the spot and fits right into an on-going conversation in our little team. We are always busy. In some ways it’s good to get the work done. However, if you only sit down to read a book, if you have to read it for work, a course and need that extra sense of purpose and accomplishment, maybe it’s time to put the phone down, ditch the to-do- list and connect with the small, simple things in life.
It’s time to start to enjoy the simple things, like GLD founder Pernille has been trying to do…
The simple things in life – are really big
“I love the start of my Yoga class in Mountain Pose and feeling grounded and connected to the earth underneath me. When I travel by plane I am always reminded of the Buddhist monks, who after a flight take time at the airport for their souls to catch up with the body. In a life, where my brain and body are often way ahead and disconnected from my soul – these reminders are so important, but honestly not enough. I am always busy, have always been busy and breaks do not come natural to me. At one time I was so busy I worked myself into an anxiety attack and realized the hard way, that my mind had been totally disconnected from my body and soul for a long time.
Multitasking, social media and 24/7connectedness have not helped people like me to slow down, take a break and enjoy the simple things in life, actually it has made it worse. As I don’t have a full-time job anymore, but have designed a great free agent life – you would think I would take afternoon naps, sip coffee at a local café with a good book or take walks in nature on a regular basis. Oh no, my mind keeps me very busy. It has been in charge for decades and it takes some tough dismantling to shift. I am trying.
Over Spring break I vacationed with my husband and friends in a small, local fishing village in the southern part of Spain. We all came from our busy everyday lives at 90 miles an hour in Los Angeles and Copenhagen to more of a 25-miles an hour pace. The first few days settling in we enjoyed the morning view over the ocean from our balcony in the hills, but soon started thinking about all the things we wanted to accomplish and started ramping up the tempo. By the end of the second day- we were all like- now wait a minute. We don’t want to go anywhere, paradise is right here. Let’s not make any plans, let’s enjoy the simple things in life – let La Herradura be our teaching ground. We sat every morning for hours consuming lots of coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice and fresh bread from the local bakery. We went for hikes on breathtaking paths overlooking the ocean, picked yellow wildflowers along the way and ate grilled sardines on the beach accompanied by some cold, local brew. Our evenings were super simple. We either shopped at the local market for fresh produce, fish and Rioja wine and cooked in our little apartment or we ate at La Sardines, our favorite spot on the beach, where even if we tried hard, it was difficult to crank up the bill for four over 100 dollars. We learned to take a stroll in the evenings from the local elderly men. They walk slowly with their hands folded behind their backs, taking everything in while having casual conversations. Admiring the brightly blue painted front door against a stark white house, smelling the freshly air dried clothes and tipping my toes in the cold ocean water made me realize – life doesn’t get better than this. To feel alive again- all I need is to connect back to the simple things in life. Mother Earth is right here- always!
BOOK ON THE NIGHTSTAND
How to be bored
by Eva Hoffman/ School of Life
This week picked by GLD co-founder Karin
The other day, my youngest said that she was bored. Immediately, I reacted a bit harsh. “Why would you be bored? You just had your birthday party, and a big stack of arts, craft and creativity to play with. “ There are a few reasons for my reaction. Firstly, I am really happy that my six years old have never really said that before, and always seems to be able to just fiddle around, do her little thing, colour, gluing some empty card boxes together and that sort of unplanned and spontaneous play. Maybe she is loosing that? Is she becoming like the rest of us? Well, growing up in a household with Mac devises everywhere, a teenage sister wired to her Iphone and parents, who are also very attached to their phones, there is certainly a big risk of that. Lately, we have made some rules and I see some digital detoxes coming soon. But that’s another conversation in itself.
Most of all I reacted like that because I was afraid that she had already forgotten how to be bored. Many of us have forgotten that. We are so busy being busy that we do not know what to do with ourselves, if we all of a sudden have no activities.
For a while my autopilot reply to “how are you” was “ I am busy”. A friend confronted me, and I changed it, or so I thought. In stead I would say things like “what I wouldn’t give to try to be bored again”. Which is basically just re-phrasing “I am busy. “ Fundamentally I hadn’t changed a lot. Whenever I rest, I am watching a Netflix series or have my phone in my hand, flipping through social media or getting stimulated by a random mix of articles, live feed from a political rally or some pandas tumbling around.
The rest of the time I do stuff.
I like to have a purpose and not just waste time. That’s why I love yoga and meditation. It gives me an excuse to do nothing.
“How to Be Bored” addresses all these things and has some insightful philosophical reflections. How do you do bored?, you might ask.
I don’t know yet, I haven’t gotten that far in the book (got distracted…). Or maybe I do know, I think we all know. Skimming the book, I can see that it’s about journaling, reading, spending less time online, and looking inwards and getting to know yourself and needs better. And lots of things we already know, and somehow that is the interesting part. We already know what is good for us. It’s like most of things when it comes to designing a good life.
We need to take that break, slow down, put that phone down and enjoy simple things. I will get on with the reading…
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE
From Flow Magazine
IF YOU TRY ONE SIMPLE THING
There are many way to slow down, be more present and mindful. But we just wanted to share this one. Have you heard about “forest bathing”?
It’s a big part of Japanese preventive health care. Basically you go for a slow walk ( this is not about exercise) in the woods. Studies have found the trees release phytoncides that can boost natural killers cells in the human body. People who spend more time surrounded by trees have a higher level of these cells that fight various diseases. Read about the benefits here…
https://www.organiclesson.com/health-benefits-of-walking-in-the-woods/