Spoiler alert: If you came here for beautifully curated pictures of a perfectly curated home you are in the wrong place! But stick around, you might like this anyways.
What is ‘home’ to you? Is it the building you live in? The people you surround yourself with? Or just that feeling when you take your dog for a walk at sunset.
The concept of ‘home’ has an important role in my life. I have always loved ‘making house’, those first few weeks after moving, and I’ve had plenty of practice: we’ve lived in over 10 houses since we married almost 20 years ago.
But nowadays, ‘home’ is also something much deeper, with an almost mystical feeling to it.
Home is not just my house, it’s more about who I am, deep down, below the layers of the things that have happened to me. Home is about my values and my beliefs. And home is somewhere I can always go to, regardless of my physical place in the world.
My online home
And one of my outlets for sharing my ‘home’ with others, is here, online.
When I follow someone online these days it’s a much more purposeful and careful action that it has been before. I have worked so hard to curate and declutter my feeds so I’m careful not to undermine that work.
I like to take some time to get to know the person (or brand) that I follow. I don’t have specific criteria, but I like to know what their ‘home’ looks like. What are their values, and more importantly, what kind of information will I get if I hit ‘like’, ‘follow’, or ‘subscribe’.
I believe that following someone online is the same as inviting them into your home. When you choose to follow them you are inviting their ideas into your space.
So today I want to give you a quick tour of my ‘online home’ so you know what to expect if you decide to invite me into your home.
Simple, Slow & Lovely
I started this online space almost 2.5 years ago now. I wanted a place where I could brush up my writing skills and practice being more creative than I’d been allowed in my corporate writing.
I also wanted to use it as a place to connect with people like me. People who were desperate to escape the rat race, to slow down and to live more mindfully.
And I’m so incredibly thankful for the community of people who I’ve connected with in some way of the last couple of years. You guys are the icing on my cake.
As we approach 2020 and I plan for next year, I wanted to clarify (to myself mostly) what I’m here for. I never want to abuse the wonderful privilege of speaking to hundreds of people. This can happen when there is a lack of clarity around what to expect when you follow someone online.
So here are the top 5 things I talk about (and the people I am inspired by), so you know what you are getting into if you choose to follow me in any way;
Slow living
Living a slower pace of life has become a top priority for me over the last 5 or so years after having child number two. I have made thousands of tiny steps, like learning to meditate, and several really big steps, like quitting my dream job, and I share most of it with you.
My hope is to encourage you and give you the tools to create the kind of life you want. One that you are fully present for and love.
I am encouraged and inspired in my own slow journey by The Slow Home Podcast, books by Carl Honore, and daily inspiration by Becoming Unbusy.
Minimalism
Minimalism is how I get to slow and simple. I wholeheartedly believe that owning less gives us the freedom to be slower and more intentional with our time.
I am no expert, and what I categorise as minimalist thinking won’t be what someone else might. And that’s okay. But less is always more, I promise you (wink).
Minimalists am inspired by include: Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist; Courtney Carver of Be More with Less; and Rachelle Crawford of Abundant Life with Less. I don’t think these people would call themselves ‘experts’ either. They have, just like me, addressed some big pain points by decluttering their homes, closets, and calendars. And it’s drastically improved their lives.
Mindfulness
Being more mindful is the second biggest way I achieve a slower, simpler life. Mind you it’s certainly not #mindfulness. It’s more like a bag of party mix lollies. A bit of yoga, a bit of meditation, and lots of noticing, all packaged up in a focus on the present moment.
As someone who has suffered from anxiety in varying levels and forms over the years being in the present moment is incredibly valuable for bringing me ‘down’ out of panic mode.
Mindfulness has become one of my most used tools for parenting too. The relationship I have with my kids is always better when I’m really paying attention to their needs.
I love the work of Pema Chodron and Eckart Tolle in this space. I am also constantly learning from podasts On Being, and SuperSoul Sunday.
Mental Wellbeing & Personality
As someone who has struggled with various mental health problems, including high anxiety, I am passionate about spreading the message: mental health issues are not something to be ashamed about, and experiences need to be shared in order to provide hope and healing.
Additionally, I studied Psychology at Masters level at University so everything about what makes individuals who they are fascinates me.
As a highly-sensitive introvert, I have often felt ashamed of my need for large amounts of alone, quiet time. But thankfully, after reading the work of Susan Cain, Elaine Aron and Jenn Grannemann, I’m now proud of who I am and feel confident (most of the time) to tell the world what I need. I love to help other fellow highly-sensitive introverts find this same confidence in who they are.
Multipotentialite Life
You could call this last category a catch-all, or miscellaneous. But it’s not really. Rather, it speaks of my deep curiosity about many things. If you haven’t heard of the term before here is the Wikipedia definition;
“A multipotentialite is a person who has many different interests and creative pursuits in life. Multipotentialites have no “one true calling” the way specialists do. Being a multipotentialite is our destiny. We have many paths and we pursue all of them, either sequentially or simultaneously (or both).”
Here is where you’ll find me talking about my running addiction, why I think trees are life, and… serial killers.
So that’s it. This is my home. And you are more than welcome to pull up a chair and stay as long as you want.
Love, me.
