Slow Living - Doing It Old Style!

leftatthetrafficlights

@MissRikkiC - I can totally relate, at 34 my life was extraordinarily busy!! 😳 It's very lovely now to have such a chilled out life with my time as my own on most days but I have always been aware of the need to have a bit of time for stillness every day - even if it was just standing in the shower for a few minutes extra and quietening my mind, or once the kids were asleep and the house sorted having five minutes of meditation in a quiet space. Even a short period of time each day to really breathe can be beneficial, so it's absolutley worth it!! 😉 

Today it is full moon and I'm going to have a bit of a spa day! I haven't done my dailies yet but will get on with those shortly, then while dh is  watching the football, I'm going to have a 'spa' shower, do a hair and face mask, a deep moisturise, a long yoga nidra practice and possibly a little snooze 😁 

We're having something with black beans for dinner - no idea what yet but I'll probably make it up as I go along so will report back later. 

Tomorrow will be busy - I'm going into the city to get everything for our solstice celebrations then I'll need to come home and wrap everything for the grandbabies. I need to write a shopping list tonight - we've decided on the solstice menu so that shouldn't take too long and most of the gifts have also been chosen so hopefully it will be a 5 minute job. 

My seasonal budgets are working out well, (solstice is a different fund) and I am much more aware of what I'm spending now that I know how long it all needs to last and updating them daily - the work I did on the 'roadmap' diary is certainly paying off!! 😁 

Anyway, time for another chamomile tea - have a fab slow day!! 🐌😁

leftatthetrafficlights

Ended up with a black bean chilli, tofu cooked in a gochugang, mirin, tamari, rice wine vinegar and soy sauce marinade, mixed grains and a rocket and grated apple salad. I popped a bit of soya yoghurt on mine as the tofu was spicy!! 🥵😂 

leftatthetrafficlights

Yesterday was lovely - I got everything that I'd planned completed and my 'spa' day bit was very relaxing! 😁 

Busy day today!! 😵‍💫 All the Solstice shopping is  pretty much done now - just some veg to get but I'm waiting until Thursday for that when things are cheaper 😉 on the plus side, the drinks bill was a lot cheaper now that I've given up alcohol 🙌 I'm exhausted now - I really struggle with crowds and the supermarkets were heaving! 🤦‍♀️ Next year I'm deciding on the menu earlier and getting stuff in to freeze it 😂 

Anyway, I'm glad it's all done now - I'm spending the afternoon recovering and watching rubbish on tv. I will have some chamomile tea and hopefully a little snooze.....

I've been thinking about 2025 and have decided that I want to have a bit of a digital detox next year so I won't be continuing with any threads on here - my month long digital detox earlier this year was lovely and I want to spend more time on other things so it makes sense. I'll continue until the end of the year though as I don't like things being half done!! 😂 

Right, time for that tea...have a fab slow day!! 🐌 😁

Duchess2

Sounds as though you are almost sorted @leftatthetrafficlights. It’s such a busy time of year for everyone, even if living a “slow” life. I am very sorry to hear about your decision for 2025. I can understand, of course, the need to make room for other things, but I have so enjoyed your missives, even though I have only just started posting myself. Would you perhaps consider say a catch up once a month. I’m sure I’m not alone in looking forward to your news and it would be such a shame to lose touch altogether. If you do go ahead with a total detox I wish you all the very best for the festive season and beyond and keep up the slow living xx

leftatthetrafficlights

Thank you @Duchess2 that's very kind! 😁 

I may return at some point in 2025, but for now, I think that coming away from the forums is the best idea - unfortunately, it's just too easy to pick up my phone and spend far too much time on it! 🤦‍♀️

Part of my process in the winter months (paticularly around the time of the winter solstice) is to analyse what really serves me and what no longer does - I know that stepping away from the digital world and concentrating on my wellbeing is a vital part of my journey and the beginning of 2025, when the festive season comes to a close, is the right time for me to start that. I've enjoyed having this thread this year (and my vegan challenge one); it has been lovely interacting with all the contributers and hearing about their own times of joy so I imagine that I will be back in 2026 😉 

Today has been one of reflection and appreciation - I've done lots of writing, meditation and a yoga nidra practice so I'm feeling very mellow! I've got my grandbaby here for a sleepover tonight so my peace will be replaced with chaos and laughter in the next couple of hours which I am just as grateful for 😁😍 

Food tonight will be a mixed grain pilaff - I've got a jar of roasted peppers to use up as I bought one for solstice dinner on Monday but somehow the lid managed to loosen and the brine leaked (it was in a bag with a number of bottles and I think the lid got bashed, breaking the seal 🤦‍♀️) so I'll pop those, onions and some edamame beans into a pan along with the grains and seve with a salad of rocket and black grapes. I'll post a piccie once I serve it. 

Right, time for a chamomile tea before I do the school run, have a fab slow day!! 🐌😁

leftatthetrafficlights

Dinner was almost as described but not quite!! I remembered that we had some mixed beans in the fridge from when dh made some chilli for his lunches, so we had mixed grains, mixed beans, barberries, broccoli greens and roasted red pepper pilaff with broccoli sprouts and a rocket and black grape salad. Very yummy!! 😋 

Moorviews

@leftatthetrafficlights  - I can understand the decision to have a digital detox. I sometimes yearn for the days when it just wasn’t around as the digital world is in itself very time consuming. Yesterday involved a ridiculous amount of time getting an App set up and resetting passwords, logging in and out etc. That was just for something I already had an account for. I did an online order for gifts to be sent to my family which took two attempts to go through; even now I haven’t received the confirmation email. I shall probably have to have another go this morning! Forums can also be somewhat addictive; I find it easy to get engrossed and potter all over the place. 

This thread has been lovely to have this year so thank you for having set it up and run it. Your posts and everyone else’s have been very inspiring and interesting. I have had a rather thorough audit of myself and become a lot more understanding of what I need to have in my life. There have been a lot of ideas shared, some of which I have incorporated into my days. It has been very thought provoking and I have enjoyed shifting some of my attitudes towards myself; the puritan work ethic particularly. Taking more time to do things has been a revelation, rather than trying to cram things in and get them done quickly. It is kind of the antithesis of modern life. 

dND

@leftatthetrafficlights Thank you for the thread and enjoy your detox 😁

While the thread may end, the legacy will live on.  While I may not have contributed much, there have been many ideas and so much food for thought.  2025 will be anything but slow for me; I have a whole house to renovate and redecorate but that means lots of time for planning and setting things up.

Have a wonderful Solstice, Christmas, New Year or other Celebration and may 2025 be good for you all. 💕💕

MissRikkiC

Only at page 35 on this thread and now since you’re stopping for 2025 I’m wishing there was a few hundred pages to last me throughout that period. I often (sometimes too often) need the reminder to be slow, from other slowsters to just reset myself. I’ll miss this thread but wish you so much more headspace from stopping and detoxing. 

Brie

@leftatthetrafficlights
what i want to know is what you are doing for the solstice celebration.  I'm assuming that is on Saturday??