I’m not a minimalist. Nor have I ever claimed to be one. There was a point in my life where I lived with my parents, slept in only a sleeping bag and had two outfits along with a yoga mat and six hula hoops. I got rid of everything b not for the sake of minimalism but for more of a spartanistic reasoning where I didn’t think I needed ANYTHING. However, I think minimalism has awakened something in many people. It’s opened our society’s eyes to our mass over consumption of anything and everything. Tv, social media, clothing, food, vices of all kinds. Slow living directly correlates with minimalism because both promote INTENTIONALITY. Doing what brings you value and joy, showing you the pleasures between spaces, and having only what allows you to be happy and, for me, essential.
What is slow living?
I don’t know what it is really to be honest. Just some new branded marketing term for coziness and not being busy all the time. Here’s what it’s defined as via the internet:
The slow living movement also focuses on the idea that a fast-paced way of living is chaotic, whereas a slower pace encourages enjoyment of life, a deeper appreciation of sensory experiences, and the ability to ‘live in the present moment’.
Your friendly neighborhood wikipedia
Here’s how I would define it if someone asked me…it’s a life not so hurried, time not wasted but not spent busy-ing yourself with constant activities and a full schedule. It’s life without the hustle and bustle of everything. A life, simple put, slowed down. Slowed down so that you can see each moment and live in the present. Ultimately, bringing appreciation for your life you’ve created and keeping that intention as you move through the days, weeks and years.
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What is minimalism?
Another fancy name that’s been marketed as more of an aesthetic than a lifestyle. Here’s what the World Wide Web tells us…
a style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity
Merriam Webster dictionary
I would define it like The Minimalists do, living a meaningful life with less. Less what? Stuff is what they started off with but it’s stemmed to many things like relationships, debts, events to attend, things of that nature.
It’s about knowing what actually helps your life and your mind, and what just takes up space in your life and mind. Then discarded the latter and staying in accordance with the first. I don’t believe it’s just about white walls and neutral clothes. Just like zero waste isn’t bout trash in a mason jar and beeswax wraps.
What’s slow living have to do with minimalism?
In a word: Intentionality. That’s it. Simple. Both encourage us to understand ourselves and take the time to notice what makes us warm and fuzzy inside.
Both differ in the way of what part of our lives need fine tuning. Minimalism more-so what we bring into our life. Slow living is what we do with our time.
But slow living and minimalism alike can invite us to dive deeper into ourselves and live intentionally with purpose and meaning. Without all the white noise of stuff and hustling around town.
All these ‘isms’ are just ways we can live our life. But what matters is if it feels true, or dare I say, authentic to us.
That’s what all these lifestyles do for us. They allow us to examine ourselves and to discover who we are and how we want to be. What our place in this wild world is. Or what it could be.
Living an intentional life can seem mundane from the outside but when you’re in it, it’s immersive and glorious. It’s the translucent leaves on the tree with cold morning sunlight just passing through it. It’s layers of your life unfolding and rooting deeper into the ground to stand stronger in the storms.
I wouldn’t call my life slow or minimal really. Because I don’t enjoy labeling myself as just one thing. I enjoy a more eclectic melting pot of a human. But, I do move at a steady pace, and I try to only do what feels right for me and my family. If that’s a play date, so be it. Maybe it’s missing the church group, que será será. If it’s watching a movie together under the covers, such is life. It’s mine and I’m deeply, truly, madly in love with what’s unraveling before me.
What aspects of your life would you deem ‘slower’? Perhaps the mornings? Or after the children have gone to bed? Do you subscribe to one of these lifestyles? I’d love to discuss it more with you.
In gratitude,
Tayler
