Slow living
Over time, depth of experiences began to mean so much to me. And to dive deeper into experiences, I realised that I had to do less. So much less.
When I was younger, there was a culture of performance and achievement. My fellow humans were trying to get up as early as possible and fit as many things as possible into their day. Perhaps this culture still exists, but myself and those close to me are certainly not part of it. For me, doing more was never the path of growth.
I am trying to live a life that is deliberately slow and simple. Today was a day of self-care. I appreciate the notion of the self as presented in deep ecology and Roy Bhaskar's philosophy of metareality. In these traditions, the self is not the same as the ego. It's part of existence, of the universe, as everything is inter-connected. Fellow humans and non-humans are part of my larger Self. By caring about the narrow self, I care about the world. I hope that I am becoming a better human being too and can serve nature, fellow humans and non-humans in more concrete ways that transcend experiencing love towards them.
Today's acts of self-care were many. In the morning, I finished gently editing a chapter I am co-authoring with a Swedish colleague. Then I worked with my fellow women. I appreciate the safe space we create. After out e-meeting, I felt understood and inspired. I had an opportunity to be present with the Sun and the unfolding Spring. I was walking outside here in Copenhagen in +6 degrees, wearing just a t-shirt, and it felt wonderful. I ran in a nearby park for a bit but most of the time I just wanted to walk and see magical blooming snowdrops. I wrote a bit too and cleaned my home lightly. I thought about my day and what my stepfather would say about it. Perhaps he would say that apart from some work I did nothing. It made me smile.