Friday, November 30, 2018

Back to Simplicity

Advent starts on Sunday and I don't feel ready for it at all! November has been a whirlwind of a month. We've travelled to Iceland, I went to the Knitting and Stitching show in Harrogate with my daughter and a dear friend, I've had uni tutorials in Liverpool and enjoyed the company of friends visiting. It's been busy but filled with lovely things. November ends in the manner it started with a big event. My youngest is writing her SAT exam on Saturday! If we get the results we are hoping for it means she has pretty much-finished homeschooling!


I think that we are ready to finish up our homeschooling season now. I'm looking forward to seeing what direction she will be taking. She really wants to travel next year so we are looking into various opportunities - it's so exciting watching my daughters find their way and spread their wings.


We have had some rather chilly weather of late but oh my...I just love what the approaching winter is already giving up. Frost freezing each fallen leaf and blade of grass, lots of lovey cosy fires, candles and fairy lights - all these small things are to be cherished. 


For those of you who have been visiting me here over the years, you will know that I am all about appreciating, seeking and delighting in the simple things. I love to live my faith and observe the liturgical year. I love homespun everything, the gentle rhythms of the natural year and country life. 

Lately, I have felt that the simplicity that I have always tried to nurture in my home seems to be eluding me. Simplicity can easily be lost as we slowly add to our lives, a bit like a bringing in more 'stuff' into our homes. It comes in subtly until suddenly you realise that you are in need of a good clear out, a destash and declutter. It's those subtle things that creep in and begin to clutter up life so that the simplicity is lost.

I've been analysing what it is that is cluttering up my life stealing my simplicity peace and have identified one or two things. Instagram was one of those things so...I got rid of it. Instagram is lovely and inspiring and many good things, but it was becoming a habit and time waster for me. I found myself scrolling through my feed numerous times a day, picking up my phone far too many times an hour. I thought back to the time I didn't have it, to the conversation I had with a friend who told me I should really try IG - it was so nice. I can remember that day and that conversation so clearly and for 4 years I've been a slave to it - so it seems to me. I remember feeling a lot less burdened before it and I yearned for that feeling of freedom again. So on Tuesday morning I woke up and just did it. I deleted IG and I instantly felt a burden fall away.

No regrets. No feeling like I'm missing out. I've found that I have so much more time to do things that I love and things that need to be done. I haven't missed it one bit and have no intention to bring any more social media 'clutter' into my life.


The other thing I got rid of this week was a Wordpress site that I bought nearly two years ago. I had planned to transfer this blog over to Wordpress but it just didn't feel right. I like my little spot here, I've grown attached after having blogged here for 8 years. Yet, at the back of my mind that Wordpress site niggled at my peace. Thoughts like, "You should use it you've paid for it" kept nagging. Should I start another blog? What would I blog about? I don't really have an interest in starting a 'professional' blog. I like being real and sharing right here. I don't want to have to churn out posts that tell people how to do things all the time.

Can you guess what I did? Yip - it followed the same fate of IG. I got rid of it. I hit the 'cancel this account' button and that is that. It's gone forever now I don't need to entertain any more nagging thoughts. FREEDOM! 😂

Do you have to declutter your life from time to time to simplify? What sort of things do you find creeping in and stealing your peace? I'd love to hear from you.

Until next time...

5 comments:

  1. Good luck to your daughter! I am sure she will do magnificently, but a little extra wish for luck never hurts. :)

    Simplicity is something I am thinking a lot about as well - thank you for the wise words. :)

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  2. I try to stay off the phone - now that iphone gives you a weekly report (if you want it) of how often you are looking at it, I've tried to curb my (horrible) habits. I love blogging the best, like you, instagram is nice but there is so much time sucking going on. I'm trying to read more and knit more, those two habits bring me such joy!

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  3. Gorgeous photos! They are all my favourite :-) I understand your desire to cut back on social media noise, last year I deleted the instagram button from my phone, for just over a month. I'd realise that it was affecting my peace and taking a break was good. I usually just check in once at the end of the day and can go several days without even looking at it. However every year I take part in the December Photo Project and so for the month of december i will be sharing a photo on instagram and FB. Happy Advent to you all xx

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  4. Pintrest has been deleted from my computer, I spent far too much time browsing. I have gone back to browsing real books and patterns and feel so much better for it.

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  5. Every so often I delete the Facebook app from my phone--I can't go off of it completely because I manage a few groups on there (like for my scout troop) and I need to keep those up for now. But when it's on my phone sometimes the mindless scrolling sucks me in. When I make the rule that I can only go on there during my (trying to be limited) computer time, I'm more intentional about doing what I need to do and getting off of there. Now that I'm typing this, I realize that it's time to take it off my phone again. It always takes a few days of anxiety about what I'm missing before I start to feel peaceful about it again!

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