Join me in being slow...

[HappyGrace]

Little by little, I'm jumping off the fast track, slowing down, becoming more "old-fashioned." First it was the homeschooling, in part to allow my children to have their childhood. Then it was the natural, organic foods to get away from gunking up our bodies. Then this year we cut our activities back significantly. We've always limited "screen time" (dd got a Webkinz for her bday in Dec and we haven't even plugged it in yet so we don't head down that road! She's not even asking to do so anyway.) To be fair, I am now limiting my computer time too (in conjunction with the start of these new boards!) I'm even slowly cutting back from being "curriculum-centered" and trying to have a less-is-more, quality-not quantity homeschool mentality.

 

In our family, we are homebodies that were pushing ourselves to "keep up!" I hated it when I felt like if dd8 skipped ballet next year she would get behind the other girls (they insist that the girls that age take a *mandatory* two lessons per wk of 1 1/2 hr each.) Around here if you don't have your son in soccer at 4, and decide to wait til he's, say, 8, he is WAY "behind" the other boys. I've had it with this mentality. My kids and I would be happy to be home all the time, and I'm trying to make that happen more. We were home all wkend due to a sick little one, and we had SO much fun hanging out. We are Christian, and I feel like I barely even have the time to pray! I am SICK of multi-tasking every minute. I'm trying to declutter our lives in so many ways right now and focus on family RELATIONSHIPS!

 

I realize that part of this is personality-some people can be busy and thrive. But for my family, we need to slow down even more and just *be.*

 

I have a friend who is a Waldorf teacher (taking time off to be with her young sons-three of them under age 4.) Now she has got this down-their home is small, but natural and beautiful and simple, no clutter. They don't have a materialistic bone in their body. They enjoy nature and spend lots of time outside. They are almost always home so neighbors or friends can drop by. And while you're there she'll gently make beeswax candles or scones with your children while you chat over tea. She is never rushed, she is absolutely present in the moment. It is very peaceful there.

 

We are quite conservative and pretty sheltering of our children, so this helps since there aren't a lot of competing interests. (Which people make you feel guilty about-"don't they have time with their friends?"-but I am fine with it as we want the immediate family to be where they are bonded.) We do have co-op once a wk, and one activity once a wk per child.

 

Is anyone else in this place of desiring more slowness and getting away from all our culture is telling us to do to "keep up"? What have you done or are you doing to consciously "slow down"?

[JennifersLost]

not always achieving it.

 

Our move here to Canada was actually part of an effort to choose the slow life over the fast one. There, dh and I both worked 60 plus hours per week. Though I homeschooled I also had up to 10 additional kids and one to two other employees in my house most weekdays.

 

We moved here so I could be a SAHM and pursue a career in writing (with no publishing pressure) and dh could build his own business.

 

The only problem with this is that between my 4 kids we have way too many activities. But they're fun activities. So I'm often torn. Right now some days I run back and forth across town way too many times. As soon as the weather improves the kids will take their bikes to most of these activities and my time in the car will lessen considerably.

 

I make all our meals and I've dropped some of my own activities. This year I have only two goals - keep writing my book and get in shape. Doing yoga, going to classes, walking and jogging help me in the process to slow down.

 

I like what you wrote about your friend being at home so you can drop in. I was actually more that person when I ran a daycare than I am now. Friends would drop by, lay on the floor and play with babies while I oversaw things and chatted with them. That was lovely and I really miss it. I don't seem to have "drop over" friends right now. I hope that changes.

 

One thing I want to add to this mix is beauty. Do you understand what I mean? The beauty of a house that is set up for peace and for companionship. The beauty of routines that leave my house in order, laundry under control and enough supplies in my cupboard to whip up a bunch of muffins should company show up. Beauty in my garden so I can hand a flower to a guest as they leave. And on and on.

 

I also want to learn to be more gracious. The kids don't invite their friends over much - they got out of the habit with dh working from home and our house always torn up with renovating. As we get this house done I want to figure out how to make it inviting to kids, as well.

 

Despite these drawbacks, I've learned a lot about slowing down inside - shutting off the complaining or shaming voice in my head, and focusing on the one thing that I am doing rather than the hundred things I'm not.

 

I've got a long way to go and fear that my kids will all be grown by the time I get it right. Hopefully I can be a stellar grandma, at least!

[Jean in Newcastle]

Bad health plus too much stress almost gave me a nervous breakdown earlier this year. We slowed school way down for a while (we were doing one week's worth of school work over a two week span). Now we're back to one week's schoolwork in one week's time but I'm not stressing about the clock like I used to. We're switching to slow-food (whole foods, made totally from scratch - ok most of that is because of food allergies but it has made a difference in other ways). Right now, the slow-food is taking up a huge amount of my time because I'm having to relearn how to cook from scratch, and I'm building up a repertoire of stocks, jams, snacks and freezer foods. I'm hoping by spring and summer we will start to build a more outdoors oriented lifestyle for our exercise and hobbies. Not organized things but gardening, hiking, climbing, bicycling and camping.

[Beth in Central TX]

We're in the process of remodeling too. It's taken about a year to do everything we wanted, but we did most of it ourselves and paid for it in cash. However, with our bedroom furniture throughout the house (we're reflooring the master bedroom right now), life seems very chaotic. The end is near though; we should be completely done in March.

 

During this home remodel project, I've done a lot of decluttering since last May. The house is more open and inviting. Like you, Jennifer, I would like my boys to have their friends over more. I would also like to invite more friends over for tea.

 

We slowed down our life when I became a SAHM. But with all of the good things out there, I continue to struggle with protecting our schedule and limiting our time away from home.

[Daisy]

Down deep in my soul, I NEED this. I crave it. Dh and I have cut back significantly. We've always been homebodies. It is more than that though. We crave that "front porch". Does that make sense? We live in a large city and would move out of here in a split second if we weren't so dependent upon Dh's income. :(

[Tonia]

One thing I want to add to this mix is beauty. Do you understand what I mean? The beauty of a house that is set up for peace and for companionship. The beauty of routines that leave my house in order, laundry under control and enough supplies in my cupboard to whip up a bunch of muffins should company show up. Beauty in my garden so I can hand a flower to a guest as they leave. And on and on.

 

This is where we are at right now - this is exactly what I want my home to be. A peaceful haven where people feel welcomed. You expressed it beautifully.

[nukeswife]

Down deep in my soul, I NEED this. I crave it. Dh and I have cut back significantly. We've always been homebodies. It is more than that though. We crave that "front porch". Does that make sense? We live in a large city and would move out of here in a split second if we weren't so dependent upon Dh's income. :(

 

Daisy,

 

I so understand the "front porch" With dh in the Navy we are always someplace that's so busy and the hustle and bustle is getting to me. I always thought I was a "city" kid and come to find out in my old age (I'm going to be 34 and my kids say I'm SOOOOO Old LOL:eek:) that I crave the life of quiet open spaces.

 

I was watching a show about prairies last night on Discovery HD Theatre and there were beautiful flowing hills, covered in prairie grasses, lots of prairie dogs and buffalo. It was gorgeous. As I laid there watching it I thought "man I like to stick a house right there" LOL Maybe one of these days (dh has 7.5 years left to go before retiring from the Navy) we'll get that ranch or something. I'm not sure why but homeschooling has really helped me see how much I crave having a ranch or something were our closest neighbors are a few miles away.

[Whitney in KY]

I don't know how I ended up like this. I used to have 3-4 days a week at home. Now it seems I am always taking one of the 5 kids or myself to an appointment. (Doctor, ortho, dentist, dermatologist, endocrinologist, etc.)

 

 

When does it ever end? I want so desperately to slow down. I've tried scheduling all appointments on Tuesday between outside classes but that usually ends up stressing everyone.

 

Good news...it snowed tonight and it looks like we'll be missing classes tomorrow. Maybe we can stay home, play in the snow and drink hot chocolate. Ah, the life.

 

Well, I know what you mean. I feel your pain, I want to be there...

Whitney

[fishnoises]

I crave simplicity. I think we all want to be close with our families and the distractions of this time in this world is making it almost impossible. Thanks to homeschooling, we are able to see our children learn and discover their talents and weaknesses. What a gift. We are able to see little glimpses of what eternity will be like, when we will be able to pursue our interests and worship God the way HE always intended. (We are studying "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn at my Women's Bible study, so eternity is something I am craving lately.)

Anyway, I am not at all good at relaxing and sitting still. My mind is always on the go and there is always work to do. But I can say no when I know it will affect my relationship with my family. I wish I could learn to say "no" to my nagging self. And I wish I good get rid of the clutter. But there are 6 people living in this house and so taking life slow is getting harder and harder.

BTQW, I highly recommend the cookbook called "More With Less". It is a Mennonite cookbook and it is full of money saving recipes and ideas.

[fishnoises]

My brain won't let me live a slow life and my family definitely won't let me slow down! But I can take pleasures in slowing down the pace by baking my own bread and chopping my own veggies. (I can't believe you can buy presliced apples now...whatever.) I have yet to grow my own veggies, but some day I will. (I gotta learn to eat more of them too!)

[Amy in Orlando]

We're pretty simple here. We're home a lot. The kids friends are here all the time. I feel like, Jennifer mentioned, there is a degree of beauty in our lives. The house never takes more than 10 minutes to clean up, the pantry is stocked, the laundry is under control. We're facing some big remodeling but I don't think it will throw us into the chaos it did 10 years ago. We are involved in quite a lot, but it's not overwhelming and it's not every single day/night. It took us a while to reach this point and things are always changing, but for now, it's pretty simple.

[Stacia]

Around here if you don't have your son in soccer at 4, and decide to wait til he's, say, 8, he is WAY "behind" the other boys. I've had it with this mentality.

 

I realize that part of this is personality-some people can be busy and thrive. But for my family, we need to slow down even more and just *be.*

 

Is anyone else in this place of desiring more slowness and getting away from all our culture is telling us to do to "keep up"? What have you done or are you doing to consciously "slow down"?

 

I hear you on this! We live in a surburban area where kids are over-scheduled (imo) from age 2 or 3 -- maybe even from birth. Prior to having kids, I remember hearing coworkers talking about rushing home to have dinner, running out for this or that ball practice w/ the kids, weekend ballgames, etc.... Then, multiply that by 2, or 3, or 4, depending on how many kids they had. Crazy lives! And I wondered why they did it to themselves.

 

I don't think we consciously selected hsing in an effort to 'slow down', though an important factor for us was the freedom it gave us for our schedule & for travel (something we love to do) & for being w/ family (we live w/in a few miles of both my parents & my in-laws).

 

Generally, our plan is that each child can pick one outside activity of interest. And, preferably, it is something once a week & does not require weekend time. For dd, it's horse-riding. (We also have her in a once a week language class because she has dual-nationality.) Ds is not really interested in an outside activity at this point (hooray). He tried Jr. Lego League last year & though it was fun & educational, the meetings were mainly on weekends. Ack! As that is our family time that we were giving up, *all* of us found out how draining it was to give up our weekend time. So, now we just say 'no'! LOL. Another factor we consider before signing up for something is how long the activity lasts (a 6-week art course, for example, vs. joining a scout troop for the entire year). I'm just not willing to commit our time for that long (school year) to an outside activity, but we do sometimes participate in classes or workshops of shorter duration (a one-time class, or maybe something up to 6 weeks). Right now, our family & travel time comes first. Everything else can wait, imo.

 

And, even w/ horse-riding, we selected a place that emphasizes riding for fun & learning to take care of the horses vs. a place that stresses competing. We just weren't interested in taking the competitive road (and all the time investment you would need) -- rather, dd (and we) wanted her to have time to learn & enjoy being around horses -- to just 'be' w/ a hobby that she really loves. Kwim? When my ds decides to pursue something, I'm hoping we will be able to find a similar balance.

 

As I mentioned, the weekends are our family time. We chill out. We hang out together. We eat a long, leisurely brunch, served on good china w/ fancy place settings. And, we have all come to depend on this time & have become very protective of it.

 

Because both sets of grandparents are nearby, the kids also see them a lot & I think that's an invaluable gift. Hsing gives us the time & the freedom to enjoy hanging out w/ the grandparents.

 

I still have a long way to go, but those are a few of the things we do to stay out of the rat race. I've been decluttering consistenly for over a month now -- also in an effort to simplify our lives. Little by little, it's getting better.

 

Nice topic! Glad to see that others are happily staying off the merry-go-round of activities too. :)

[TammyinTN]

I absolutely love our slow paced life. It wasn't like this until we moved to Germany. I can actually stay home for weeks and not miss a thing. Most of the stores close up here on Saturday by 4 or 5pm and nothing except gas stations and guest houses are open on Sunday. You see tons of families outside everyday walking, riding horses or just being. My house is becoming greatly decluttered and I only keep the things I truly enjoy. We travel on the weekends to other cities and just walk the city and eat in small inns. It's heaven! You go to restaurants and you can stay for hours with no rushing..you actually have to ask for your bill. They are happy to have you and want you to enjoy yourself. With regard to homeschooling, I'm very relaxed and we enjoy each day. No more rushing through to just be done. We actually like everything were learning and feel no pressure. Our son was very prone to be stressed out...not anymore...he's taken to our new way of life.

I totally do not miss the stress of living in the states. Everything there is rush, rush, rush.

[Colleen]

I often hear people ~ especially people on the sidelines of soccer games ~ "lamenting" their frenzied lives. I say "lamenting" in quotes because on the one hand, they make a big deal about how crazy it is ~ running around to this, that and the other; never sitting down to a meal together as a family; yada yada yada ~ and yet they seem rather smug and happy about their state of affairs. They like sharing the fact that 6 year old Billy is playing both soccer and baseball. They just can't say no to Susie doing both dance and art when she's so talented in both areas.:rolleyes: While they give lip service to feeling stressed by their busy, busy lives, I have to assume they gain some sort of pleasure from it since they keep living that way.

 

As for me and my house, we're content with moderate outside activity. Now, I grant you, the more children one has and the older they get, the easier it is to see that time ramped up. My older guys play one sport ~ soccer ~ but since each plays on a different team, the practices and games multiplied take a chunk of time each week. Same with piano lessons ~ more children taking lessons equals more time away from home. But I'm fortunate in that we virtually never have doctor appointments, and the vast majority of activities we do are within a few miles of our home. When the weather is nice, in fact, we'll just ride bikes up to town for some of those activities.

 

I do feel like my life is busy, what with five boys and a business, but living on a farm, having space around us, being a minimalist in terms of what I own, all contribute to a pace that I find much more comfortable than the "go, go, go!" that consumes so many people these days.

[Bev in B'ville]

and I'm a homebody, so it really got to me. We moved out of the city, but more than that, we moved out of that lifestyle. We went from living in a big, beautiful, overly decorated home where you could reach out the kitchen window and almost touch your neighbor's home to living on our own 76 acre ranch. We built a home that emphasizes family togetherness. We have a family room, kitchen, and dining area that's all basically one big area. No walls between these rooms. No formal living room, no formal dining room (for me, the ratio between use of those rooms to cleaning of those rooms was very upside down).

 

I can't believe how much happier my family is and how we've grown as a family. My kids love being outside. I love not being able to see a neighbor. A couple of years ago I learned how to bake bread from scratch (including grinding the wheat myself). My kids LOVE that bread and want more. The activity levels have also decreased, not just for the kids, but for me, too. It seems that when we lived in the city, we were all expected to participate in so much. The kids had activities almost every night. While they were in school (we didn't hs at that point), I was at neighborhood meetings (how to raise money for which charity), doing room mom duties, etc. It just went on and on.

 

My favorite days now are the ones where we never leave the ranch. The car stays in the garage and on nice days, we take walks and take in the nature. I love sitting on my back porch, sipping my coffee and I thank God every day for making me realize that my blessings were right there all along.

 

Feeling very blessed this morning.

[Call Me Cordelia]

I agree in so many ways with what is being said. Six years ago we lived on an 80 acre farm in the middle of nowhere, did not go many places, etc... It was lovely for that period of time.

 

Now we are in the middle of suburbia, not totally by choice, but I totally believe this is where God wants us. Our schedule is nuts for a couple of reasons: we have five children and one activity per child is still a lot of activity! One dd plays soccer at a competitive level and that takes more time and resources. It's not all what I would have chosen, but it is what my family is. I am grateful to be able to serve my family by home educating and working to provide the outside activities (as well as some essentials).

 

The principle of family closeness is what is most important to me and we have that, although imperfectly. My kids are homebodies - they like their activities, but are always ready to get home. I think home schooling has facilitated that a large extent; they all really just do their own thing during the day (including school!) and regain energy to face the world!!

 

Ok, my bottom line here, is that while the externals of simplicity can be wonderful, marvelous...they are not always achievable. The state of mind of being present with people and investing in them can be achieved in any lifestyle.

[CookieMonster]

In our family, we are homebodies that were pushing ourselves to "keep up!" I hated it when I felt like if dd8 skipped ballet next year she would get behind the other girls (they insist that the girls that age take a *mandatory* two lessons per wk of 1 1/2 hr each.) Around here if you don't have your son in soccer at 4, and decide to wait til he's, say, 8, he is WAY "behind" the other boys. I've had it with this mentality. My kids and I would be happy to be home all the time, and I'm trying to make that happen more. I'm trying to declutter our lives in so many ways right now and focus on family RELATIONSHIPS!

 

We do have co-op once a wk, and one activity once a wk per child.

 

Is anyone else in this place of desiring more slowness and getting away from all our culture is telling us to do to "keep up"? What have you done or are you doing to consciously "slow down"?

 

I admire your constructive reflection upon your life and the direction it's headed. I applaud your decision to step away from the new fad to have your child in soccer/ballet/baseball from the age of four "just so they have a chance to make it". I think you're right about needing to focus on family relationships.

 

I don't think of it so much as "slowing down". I think of it as prioritizing our lives. Children need quantity time with their parents if those parents want them close to them during the tumultuous teen years. This is especially true for Christian parents who want to instill, pass on, and make stick those essential Biblical values while living in a world gone mad. Those other parents, with the kids in soccer every year, have prioritized their lives. They have decided that soccer is more important to them than almost everything else. They set aside family meals, family games, family time for soccer practices, tournaments, banquets, fundraisers, and traveling teams.*

 

I just want to caution you, though, that I've learned something else, too. As much as it is good to keep your kids with you often and not get caught up in the push to make kids grow up too fast, having other people in their lives is also essential to their growth.

 

I've learned this the hard way: by walking through it. While my dh and I are still to be the primary source of influence in our children's lives, they need other people to give them input in all facets of life. They need relationships with extended family, friends of the family, and neighbors to grow into a more whole person. And these relationships take time too.

 

Look at the lady you admire so much. She makes time for others, welcomes their children even, and includes them in her life. I think this is one essential of her way of life that you admire most: she makes you feel welcome and important to her.

 

I know you have co-op and activities for each child still, so maybe my insight doesn't even apply. But it was something I thought of as I read your post. I have pulled myself and my children away from all the "craziness" only to find that we need input from others more than I imagined.

 

*Don't get me wrong: It's totally possible to have a sport or something that your child is totally into become a huge part of your life, something you make sacrifices for, and still maintain family togetherness. Most of the people you are referring too, I imagine, are not doing this.

[Call Me Cordelia]

I like your response, Cookie! For us, soccer has been a source of family unity. It is not what I would have chosen (I was a theatre, speech, communications person who can barely walk and chew gum!) but it has contributed to our family and the individuals in our family.

 

I also like what you say about outside input into lives. So much can depend on the season. My son didn't need a lot when he was 3, 8 or even 10. At 15, more outside input has been a huge blessing!!

[stephanie]

Little by little, I'm jumping off the fast track, slowing down, becoming more "old-fashioned." First it was the homeschooling, in part to allow my children to have their childhood. Then it was the natural, organic foods to get away from gunking up our bodies. Then this year we cut our activities back significantly. We've always limited "screen time" (dd got a Webkinz for her bday in Dec and we haven't even plugged it in yet so we don't head down that road! She's not even asking to do so anyway.) To be fair, I am now limiting my computer time too (in conjunction with the start of these new boards!) I'm even slowly cutting back from being "curriculum-centered" and trying to have a less-is-more, quality-not quantity homeschool mentality.

 

In our family, we are homebodies that were pushing ourselves to "keep up!" I hated it when I felt like if dd8 skipped ballet next year she would get behind the other girls (they insist that the girls that age take a *mandatory* two lessons per wk of 1 1/2 hr each.) Around here if you don't have your son in soccer at 4, and decide to wait til he's, say, 8, he is WAY "behind" the other boys. I've had it with this mentality. My kids and I would be happy to be home all the time, and I'm trying to make that happen more. We were home all wkend due to a sick little one, and we had SO much fun hanging out. We are Christian, and I feel like I barely even have the time to pray! I am SICK of multi-tasking every minute. I'm trying to declutter our lives in so many ways right now and focus on family RELATIONSHIPS!

 

I realize that part of this is personality-some people can be busy and thrive. But for my family, we need to slow down even more and just *be.*

 

I have a friend who is a Waldorf teacher (taking time off to be with her young sons-three of them under age 4.) Now she has got this down-their home is small, but natural and beautiful and simple, no clutter. They don't have a materialistic bone in their body. They enjoy nature and spend lots of time outside. They are almost always home so neighbors or friends can drop by. And while you're there she'll gently make beeswax candles or scones with your children while you chat over tea. She is never rushed, she is absolutely present in the moment. It is very peaceful there.

 

We are quite conservative and pretty sheltering of our children, so this helps since there aren't a lot of competing interests. (Which people make you feel guilty about-"don't they have time with their friends?"-but I am fine with it as we want the immediate family to be where they are bonded.) We do have co-op once a wk, and one activity once a wk per child.

 

Is anyone else in this place of desiring more slowness and getting away from all our culture is telling us to do to "keep up"? What have you done or are you doing to consciously "slow down"?

 

Yes, I'm completely with you. I always wish I grew up with my kids in The Walton's time or Little House on the Prairie. I love to have things simple and not rushed. With my 4 dc it is hard to not be running around like a mad woman, but I do try. I've made all their activities on Monday so that leaves Tues, Thurs, and the weekend all to us. Wednesday is for church and they love to do that. It is hard to get out of the mentality of checking subjects off for the day with school,but I'm working on being more flexible. My dc are still young where we can sit outside and enjoy being outside. Yesterday we did school outside and it was a nice change. My dc were also swimming b/c it's in the 70's here! It's nice just to sit back and enjoy not having to keep up with everyone's schedules. Thanks for the post- it will remind me today to chill out!

[Jane in NC]

 

I can't believe how much happier my family is and how we've grown as a family. ...

 

Feeling very blessed this morning.

 

When I am busy, multi-tasking to get things done, I find that something is lost in the process. Joy is literally sucked out as my mind races to keep up with the next thing on the list. I don't think about what my food tastes like, how the sun feels on my face, or even laugh at my son's natural goofiness. It just ain't right.

 

Thus I try to live deliberately with whatever task is at hand. For me, reflection leads to contentment and often joy.

 

Of course, some things are easier than others to face deliberately. Cooking, for example, or reading good literature. There is nothing deliberate in my attitude toward bathroom cleaning--can't imagine there ever will be!

 

Jane

[readwithem]

Agreeing with you here. Americans are so busy. We loved living overseas where people walked places and generally planned only one activity (at most) per day. quality vs. quantity. I *hate* the word multi-tasking (for my own vocabulary). I think our lifestyle is lacking deeper and more satisfying relationships.

[rockermom]

I want this life, and DH says he does as well. I hope we can someday achieve a somewhat slow life.

[Diana in OR]

there is a point when I will say, "Enough!". Even with only 2 dc, like others have said, when they each have 1 activity, it gets crazy. My ds are not going to do any sports this spring. We need a break. Each season (summer included) at least one of my dc has been in a sport for the past 2.5 years. I am soooo looking forward to the break. :)

[gardenschooler]

 

Thus I try to live deliberately with whatever task is at hand. For me, reflection leads to contentment and often joy.

Jane

 

What a beautiful way of expressing it. I used to think I was just out of sync with the rest of the world because I simply cannot function if I try to keep up with society's norms of busyness and activities - even for homeschool moms. Maybe especially for homeschool moms. Multi-tasking is not my gift.

 

I finally decided it's okay to be out of sync with the rest of the world. I most definitely live my life deliberately, but it just doesn't fit well with the rest of the world. I can't keep up. I move more slowly and even talk more slowly than most people. I was the kid who took an hour to get around the block, because I had to stop and inspect (and most importantly, think about) each and every thing I saw along the way.

 

Instead of continuing to fight it, and really feeling like I was allowing my life to be stolen from me (not to mention resentful because of too many outside commitments), I finally had to accept this fact about myself. I've been so much happier ever since I've done that, and I only wish I had done it sooner. I weeded out some very worthwhile activities - there were simply too many of them. I don't make excuses or feel like there is something strange about myself anymore. It's who I am, and living my life this way makes me happy, and able to give more to my family and others.

 

What I'm finding now is that if I do that enough, it's not as excruciating to step out of my comfort zone and do the very few activities I really think are worthwhile. But they are very, very few. Making a conscious effort to do those things deliberately has freed me from the feeling that I should be doing more. What we have is just right.