A Simpler Life Series 4: Take a Little Break

Part of a living a simpler life absolutely has to be finding the time to kick back a little.  

I, of course, have absolutely no experience in this.  After all, I move to Europe and what do I do?  Start remodeling a kitchen before I even have a mattress to sleep on.  Slowing down a little is my worst habit.  How about you?  Some signs that you could use a do-nothing moment:

  • You flip through a magazine or start cleaning out something while you’re waiting in the car for someone.
  • You pace or load the dishwasher when you’re on the phone
  • Then there’s the hardest of all:  you watch a movie while doing a dozen other things

    • If you’re guilty of all of them like me, care to take up a challenge with me?  Life is too short to run around constantly.  We could benefit from slowing down a little.  We have all of these conveniences like cars and cell phones.  Instead of making life easier, it means we’re constantly running errands.  It isn’t like Little House on the Prairie where Pa used to go to town once a month.  Oh no.  We’re heading out all the time, and we’re on our cell phones with urgent calls through the entire process.

    Sometimes I have to trick myself into chilling out.  I do things like getting lost in Berlin on purpose or walking to German class instead of taking public transportation or my bike.  If I were a kid, the thoughts in this poem are how I’d trick myself.  I wrote it just for all of you.  A simpler life could be a really good life.

    on a seesaw in Berlin

    berlin-teeder-todder

     

    INSTEAD OF STANDING STILL

    The opposite of standing still
    is rolling down a grassy hill
    or running from a laughing man
    with a squirt gun in his hand.

    The opposite of standing there
    is running around everywhere
    or hopping down a country road
    to snatch a slimy toad.

    The opposite of standing here
    is prancing like a baby deer
    or being told it’s time for bed
    when you had plans instead.

    But opposite of constant speed
    is the pause from moving that I need.
    So I’ll take a little breathing break
    and be a sunning snake.

    (Image by Martin for Making This Home)