On a walk this week, I came within a few feet of getting hit hard by a vehicle. It was dark out, but the intersection was well lit, the vehicle was facing me turning left, and I was carrying a flashlight. I had to make a quick decision whether to run forward or run backward to avoid being hit—I chose backward. The driver didn’t stop, slow down, apologize or curse me so I don’t know if they saw me, even though I was three feet in front of their headlights.
Lately with my simpler living activities, especially writing for this blog, I feel like I’ve taken two steps forward and now one step back.
Annoying head cold symptoms that lingered for almost five weeks impacted the time I had been making for good things like writing, yoga, and walking. And after seemingly kicking my social media compulsion during a weeklong offline meditation retreat in August, I consciously and unapologetically jumped right back into that time suck.
I read a lot of edifying articles I find through social media but it is not the same for me as deliberately sitting down for an hour with a dharma book or even a detective novel. The intentionality is not there and it is too easy for me to look up from the monitor two hours later and think “oopsy-daisy, where did I go?”
But the past month hasn’t all been in reverse. I’ve made further improvements to my diet and have been cooking a lot. My purchases have been thoughtful and few (other than groceries). After reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I further purged my clothing, donating three more large bags. I’ve volunteered for Shambhala programs. I’ve maintained my daily meditation practice. My focus on tracking and saving $ for SLSR has not wavered for a second.
I haven’t had cable for over seven years, but I’ve noticed that scrolling through a social media feed is not unlike my previous habit of clicking the TV remote but never stopping to watch anything for more than a minute. Sometimes the social media feed oddly repeats itself, just like clicking through all the channels again. Do I continue to scroll on today, looking for something good?
No. If I can find time to read other people’s content, I can find time to write my own.
References and related links:
- The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
- SLSR: simpler living semi-retirement
Neil says
Scary moment in opening paragraph. Glad you were aware of things not just absorbed in your thoughts. Guess one has to be both. Walking in the city is not like walking on the beach or in the country.
back is the new forward says
During the short daylight days, I’m going to try to go out for more walkies at noon rather than waiting until after work. It’s definitely a little safer (and a little less stressful).