I have very simple wants in life, and want to enjoy simple experiences in my own back yard and around the globe.Travel takes money, but I don't need expensive meals and crap souvenirs once I get there, and having a few friends over for a simple meal, drinks included, can be less than a typical drive through McDonald's for a family of four. And yet, I still find myself with crap in my grocery cart that we shouldn't be eating, a calendar that has optional activities that do not provide meaningful enjoyment, and trips to Target that too often include a receipt twice as long as it should have been due to unplanned or needed items coming home with me. Just yesterday a set of six Christmas cookie cutters, on clearance for $2.00 came home with me. I have a canister of cookie cutters already, and short of gingerbread boys, I haven't made cut out cookies in years.
I like the picture downshifting gives as opposed to the other phrase I've heard, downsizing. Downsizing implies getting or doing less, where downshifting says to me, intentional and deliberate choices in what we decide to get or do. Downsizing has connotations of job loss and mortgage foreclosure. Downshifting makes me think of a skilled race car driver, carefully correcting his course along the race route for an optimal finish.
I didn't get nearly as much done this weekend as I would have liked on the cleaning and organizing nature. I did however, spend some good time reading and learning from others. As for that calendar being filled with less than enjoyable things, I took a look and did some much needed editing.
