Transformed into a couch
On taking this time to slooooooow down
In my last post, I had shared some intentions around spacious time — setting some themes, letting go of scarcity, etc. Welp, life had different plans for me (sort of). COVID finally came for me and derailed all our plans, and I spent a whole lot of time on my sofa watching reality TV and cooking shows, drinking soup and tea, and sleeping. But in a way, it was a good reminder to SLOW DOWN, to let go of the need to make the most of our time, to just be.
As the new year approaches, there can be a lot of pressure to do better. To be better versions of ourselves after this period of holiday gluttony and chaos. To finally exercise, build healthy habits, set and work towards some ambitious career goals.
But the holidays can be a fraught time for many, with family drama, stressful travel, and chaotic scrambling to buy and wrap presents. While the end of the year is often a good time to do some self-reflection and set some intentions for the year ahead of us, it’s also a good time to do…absolutely nothing. I particularly enjoyed this tweet I came across recently.
I had an entirely different post drafted around the career gaps that everyone feels they have, and I also considered taking the plunge and officially renaming this newsletter The Hallway Track. But in the spirit of this tweet, I’ll save those for another time. Instead, I’m going to share some of the things I’ve been enjoying the last few days (when I’m not a couch), as I finally emerge from COVID life and feel more like myself.
I’ve been leaning fully into doing the little things that bring me joy, especially if they are slow and inefficient, and there’s no real reason to do it other than I want to. I’ve realized that while learning and doing things quickly is one of my strengths, the shadow side of this strength is that it holds me back from even starting things that I deem slow or not a good use of time, which is perhaps a positive trait at work, but less so in hobbies and general life enjoyment.
I learned how to crochet waffle stitch, and made a small blanket for Tabby, the kids’ beloved cat stuffy — in fact, there are four Tabby’s now, as they keep pooling their money to buy exactly the same one, with the goal of having nine total. I’m looking forward to wrapping it and putting a “Tabby” label on it. The kids really like when I treat Tabby (collectively) like a third child.
I made furikake chex mix, which is as delicious as it is time-consuming. I’ve wanted to make it for awhile, and had all the ingredients, but the recipe calls for scooping and moving around all the chex mix every 15 minutes, for two hours. Usually this deters me from making it, but yesterday, I took my time and gave myself permission to make something that I enjoy myself and enjoy gifting to others, even if it’s time-consuming and tedious.
And in a few days, our neighborhood is organizing New Year’s Eve luminaria, where participating houses put out small paper bags weighted down with a bit of sand, with a tealight candle inside. When the sun sets, everyone lights their candles, and the sidewalks are lined with beautiful lights. I found myself thinking it would be nice to contribute some hot chocolate to the New Year’s ambience. Often when little ideas like this come to mind, I brush them off, but this time I let myself follow this little delightful impulse. I purchased some little cups, and am going to borrow a hot drink dispenser from a friend. I’ll make a big pot of hot chocolate, pour it into the drink dispenser, and set it up on a table and cups outside the house on New Year’s Eve.
Whether you’re an end-the-year-with-a-bang goal-setting kind of person, or a transform-into-the-couch kind of person, I hope you find some moments of joy and slowness. Give yourself permission to follow some of those ideas and impulses that might not lead to anything long-term or grand, but that just bring you delight.
In slowness,
Jean