I hear a lot of talk about downsizing, simplifying, living clean and de-cluttering these days.
It's like people are finally beginning to clue in; to realize that, in too many parts of this world, we are drowning in excess, suffocating under mountains of stuff and stress.
I was, at one point, quite oblivious to the dangers of all this materialistic and anxiety-inducing glut.
I was a mother, a wife, a nurse, a professional; a full on, fast forward automaton in futile (and failing) pursuit of impossible levels of perfection in all these things.
And then, one day, in a blink (while washing a frying pan at the kitchen sink, of all things...how boring), my world changed. It was just that simple and that sudden. One wee, barely audible, "pop".
Stroke.
In the years since that silly little sound announced the presence of an inoperable AVM (Google topic for you!) in my brain, I've fought well, been through and lost a lot, and learned much.
It was, and continues to be, a journey.
Along the way, I know I was able to shorten the length of said journey - to gratefully take shortcuts - because I took the time to learn from the experiences, to read the stories, of others who had survived before me.
That's a big thing for me now...learning from others, elders, those who have already "been there, done that".
It saves time – something that I now, given my circumstances, profoundly realize is well worth saving. I am 53 years old... and I have a grenade in my head.
The medical advice I've been given? In a nutshell...get your affairs in order and live life as best you can...but keep your blood pressure down, your heart rate low, don't lift anything above 30 pounds, and don't stress.
In other words? SIMPLIFY AND SLOW DOWN!
And so I did.
Oh, I didn't going willingly into the quiet. I fought it. I raged against my new limitations, became despondent with pain, asked "why me?" incessantly, and spent far too much time and energy trying to reclaim all the things I'd lost.
No...while there are many noble people out there who voluntarily adopt simple, clean lifestyles for all the right environmental, health and spiritual reasons, I certainly was not one of them back then.
I can say I am now, though. Somewhere along the way I surrendered to simpler ways, crossed over from reluctant to enthusiastic minimalism. I've learned to embrace this much cleaner and calmer and more eco-friendly way of being, to thrive in and settle into it more comfortably.
I can only hope that my story, my solutions and experiences, will offer a little bit of insight to those who find themselves-quite unexpectedly-having to slow down due to illness or health limitations.
Please...let my lessons be yours...and may they provide you a short cut on your own journey into simplicity.