Life Reflection
I took a long walk today along this clear towpath, of Glen Parva Nature Reserve, just on the outskirts of Leicester City . Some rain clouds lurked, but it was just a nice comfortable crisp air, which allowed me to only wear a light jacket. It was an aimless walk, as I felt the need to connect with nature and reflect. Being surrounded by this stunning unspoiled nature makes reflection easy, as there are no distractions just the beautiful melodic sounds of birds and waterfowl.
Listen to the euphonious sounds of nature
Do these sounds have a soothing effect on your mind? They certainly do for me.
I spotted a wooden bridge and made a diversion. In the distance, I saw what appeared to be a small shopping centre and a coffee shop. I continued onwards to this showpiece ice cream truck and decided to have a hazelnut gelato ice cream.
While having my ice cream, I returned to the natural surroundings along the towpath, where I stopped for a moment to reflect on my life now, compared to my life 15 years ago.
Everything has changed, including me, and I'm proud to say I am a better version of myself.
Before
I lived a constant stressful lifestyle in a high-demand job role, which kept me alert around the clock. There was no switching off.
[The Thinker, the Detective, that Sixth Sense gift; the multitasker; the Planner; the Problem Solver...]
Those were some things that my peers and superiors described as my key skills. I did them diligently and consistently, with 100% efficiency.
Then things changed. I was no longer a slave employed with high-demand job roles and responsibilities, but a full-time student, which came with different demands and deadlines, and I was equally stressed. I made a conscious decision to decline any team leader role. Still, duties kept landing on me because I am naturally responsible, proactive, take initiative, and I'm not a good follower.
Years went by, and I continued to apply the same assertiveness in my personal life. I was highly wired and operated at full speed simply because that became my nature.
I like to think that I bend and sway with the wind, and the natural direction of where things take me, however, my physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing were not in alignment.
Happiness and I grew detached.
A Mindset Shift was needed to prevent my imminent downfall.
I Needed mental clarity, a mental declutter, mental order, and a slower, calmer lifestyle, for holistic health and stability.
I faced many personal challenges at the onset of slowing down and taking life one day at a time. I had to look deep within me, and through introspection, I realised that I was not living in the moment. I was living my current life in the past, which was stifling my growth. I struggled but found the determination to shift my mindset and perspective, which was a revelation.
After
- I realised that feelings of stagnation were merely personal growth; I was changing and growing out of my comfort zone.
- I started to see the challenges as opportunities; I set new goals, and took small steps toward personal development.
- I learned to let go of preconceived ideas of what success was, and I analysed that there was no one way to success and that success is relative.
- I slowly rekindled my friendship with happiness, and I also realised that being happy is relative, being happy is not constant... and that it was more important for me to focus on making a little progress daily, in whatever goal I had set for myself.
A Minimalist Lifestyle saved me and made my life more balanced.
Mindfulness, living and making a great effort to be connected at the moment, and taking life slower, led me back to my authentic self.
I have not lost any of my key skills from applying minimalism to my life. However, I incorporated grounding activities that help to keep me calm and focused while I prioritise things differently and take better control of what my mind focuses on. Therefore, I attribute my personal growth to my applying minimalism in my life, as it helps me to set and work progressively towards my goals and personal development.
So, you see, days of aimless walking in nature, listening and tuning into sounds of nature, indulging in things that I love in moderation, slowing down my thought process, and prioritising things differently have all helped to increase my coping mechanism when faced with challenges.
I know that I do not need to tackle all problems at once.
Thank you for reading my response to option 1 of this week's #KISS blogging ideas for the week.
Keep It SImple & Sexy Smart 
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The sounds of the birds and nature are very soothing to me also.
That Gelato truck is super cool with its clever license plate.
Sounds like all of the changes you have made in life have been very beneficial. Thats excellent! Very inspiring.
Thank you very much!
Yeah, I smiled when I saw the license plate and thought that was a good one.
I'm glad to know that you appreciate the sounds of nature too. I could get lost wandering forever:)
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What a beautiful place - I love the sounds too. The sounds around me for the past several years have been construction sounds. 😕 The joys of living in a rapidly gentrifying city...
I'm glad you found some peace in your life. I had a slow down forced by health, as it often does if you don't do it yourself. But I have learned some things in that time, including my recovery from hoarding. :)
I do hope that you're able to escape the sounds of construction now and then because the constant sounds of machinery can ride your nerve and make you uneasy. Another downside of gentrifying cities is losing your idyllic locations to main roads, traffic, and high buildings.
I wish I understood the value of slow life earlier, and I'm happy that you gained some positives along the way though!:)
I'm actually fine with high buildings, because denser neighborhoods mean less sprawl taking over wilderness, and more walkable places (theoretically). There have been some improvements as far as walkability goes - since I've never owned a car, that's important to me - but in other ways there is so much further to go. I live near two of the busiest roads in the whole state, and those drivers are generally NOT looking for pedestrians. I've been almost hit crossing the street when I had the signal at a crosswalk so many times that I lost count. I generally gesture at the crossing signal like "hello??" But I digress.
Sprawl here is terrible though, so building up rather than out is very important. For the environment, for wildlife, and also for fire safety, as we're in wildfire-prone Colorado. People still flip out about it, though. A 17-story building is going up around the corner soon and someone online said it would ruin "the character of the neighborhood."
I was like, this neighborhood?
😂 I do wish we had more green spaces here though. My block is all concrete, asphalt, and steel. They did a good job down the street with the new development because they made it a pedestrian-only street so there is some green there now when there didn't used to be. I wish they would do something like that with our block. There are parking garages that residents would need to get to, but they could leave a narrow street just for residents and delivery vehicles and take over the rest of it with sidewalk and plants!
Looking at it that way, absolutely!!... and for cities, highrise buildings make more sense logistically.
Wow! You live in the US and never owned a car! I'm impressed 🙌... I haven't driven in years and I would be very happy to never drive again:)
To hear that you commute by foot is something I wish I would see more of. That's one of the reasons why I like living in the UK. There's still a walking culture, although places are developing in some areas whereas you say, pedestrians are not a priority.
I am totally jealous of places that have a walking culture. 😊
I love cycling too, so Holland was perfect for me:)
Cyclist have priority on the roads there!
I was ecstatic reading this.... It's a story told briefly, but it's fascinating... I congratulate you, because you have made the right decisions... That's something that not everyone does... Because they stay "tied" to their complicated lives... But you already know that and you have taken a wonderful step...
And I am speaking with experience, because I am 51 years old, and 9 years ago, I was the "Young and efficient National Technology Manager" in one of the biggest business groups in my country... And well... Those were times of aeroplanes, vehicles, projects, meetings, bonuses and excellent salaries... But they were also times of stress, precarious health conditions at a very young age, little time with my family, distortions of character and so on...
The story is long... But suffice it to say that one day "I got tired of it all"... And today I am in my hometown, in my old house inherited from my grandparents, in whose room my grandmother gave birth to my mother... And every day I take photos, I take care of my dogs (some unbearable Jack Russells that I love very much)... I walk daily in my beloved mountains (whose trails start only 500 mts from my house)... I do a bit of Yoga every now and then... I sold two of my three vehicles, do some piecework and earn a few bucks here and there... But only enough to cover the basic expenses...
In short "I learnt to live with very little and that has made me have a lot"... Because I feel fulfilled, I feel clear... I have trees, some small plants, I watch birds and sometimes I talk to myself and I smile out loud... ha ha ha ha... :-)
I quite understand why you are happy now.... And I vehemently applaud you and all those who decide to simplify their lives for the sake of growing as humans....
I love that term you use "Minimalism"... it has hints of "Peace and wisdom"...
I send greetings and blessings, thank you for sharing and for posting.... It has been a good decision to follow your account, I knew it as soon as I saw that "Narrowboat" in a post of yours ....
PS: A thousand apologies for my too long comment, I understand that sometimes it can be too much... But I also like to write from time to time.... :)
Hello @jlinaresp,
Thanks for your thoughtful comment! Don't apologise for expressing your valuable points.
💯%
I enjoyed reading about your journey and decision to embark on and embrace a minimalist lifestyle. Your life sounds better for it, and incorporating yoga is excellent.
I understand this oh so well!
Not many dares to go down the roads less traveled, so I wish you all the inner peace and personal fulfillment.
Have a lovely day 🙏
I don't know if I could thrive in quite as minimalist an environment as you do, but I certainly want to be more minimalist than I am now. The benefits sound amazing, and this was a good piece of personal testimony! 😊
This would be very fitting for the #thoughtfuldailypost tag by @wesphilbin
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@thekittygirl,
Thank you for the shout-out, and kind mention!
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Thank you @thekittygirl and @wesphilbin for the LUV:)
Hello @thekittygirl,
Thank you for stopping by, and appreciating my post. A personal testimony indeed.😊
With all things there are challenges, and we have no idea how long we will do this. However, I'm happy we are doing it.
Maybe we will upgrade to a bigger boat because we cannot imagine going back to living in a house here in the UK. However, I know for a fact that the benefits of slow living are not a myth:)
Thank you for this! I'll make sure to use that tag for similar posts:)
@millycf1976,
What a wonderful post... as usual.
They most certainly do! It's as if I walked out in my yard... the sounds of birds, the hint of the air wisping around. Okay... I do not travel as you do. But I do live in the woods, and the soundscape is akin to what I am used to. Life Reflection... something we could all use in the current state of the world...aye? I love how you have "taken down your armor" if you will, and shared a rather personal, but certainly positive time period in your life. As thekittygirl mentioned, this would indeed be perfect for my Thoughtful Daily Post Community. But I have seen some of your posts show up in my "notifications" box lol. Even your profile description speaks volumes, to me:
I see so much talk of "Tiny Living" but fear sometimes, that mindset makes people think that's about their "brain functions" lol... I do not see this in you, and it's refreshing to see such a simplistic, yet positive mindset being shared with us. I do hope you are having a good day today. I will try to keep an eye on your blog page, for more positive energy, such as this!
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Thanks for all your support:)
You must be killin' it out here!
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Wow @wesphilbin,
What a thoughtful reply!
Indeed, Life Reflection is more important now more than ever.
I bet you enjoy living in the woods. When I look out and see the ducks and swans happy amongst each other, communicating and going with the flow, it makes me smile. It's a simple life that I've always yearned for, and now that I'm living it, I know this is the right time. It's been a spiritual journey and I'm hoping to do more personal work to let go of more.
This made me chuckle.
I sometimes see people living this way because they think it's cool...Yes, it's cool, but there are deep benefits that bring inner peace too:)
It's been a lovely day in fact, and the weekend weather promises to be great!
All good wishes to you too:)
Can't see the forest, for the trees...
I used to think, "You need to see a different eye doctor then!".
Happy Monday...
I like that!😁
Love this so much. I'm in a very similar place in life - still in the act of simplifying but seeing so many benefits from that.
Aww, that's lovely to hear. It's a journey that has no fixed route, so take it one day at a time:)
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Thank you so much @ecency for the encouragement:)
The YouTube video sounds of nature were really soothing to me as I am a lifelong city dweller who loves nature. I shouldn't really be in the city tbh and it is something I am diligently working on changing with a potential move abroad to a rural environment.
Meditation and mindfulness have also been a key part of my realizations about life, and how I want to live my life with the least negative impact upon my fellow humans and the planet. I think that this is a greatly underappreciated reality that meditation and connection with nature can teach us.
We've been constantly taught, by social expectation and what I call social conditioning, that great people are the people that get things done. Business leaders, politicians, great scientists, etc.
Yet never once can I remember any teacher, or adult in my childhood, making the distinction that the same types of people are the ones who can (and sometimes do) cause the most damage to our world. The sociopathic politician, the scientist who can't see beyond the genius of a theory to its catastrophic application... the business leaders who keep the wheel of pollution turning slowly destroying the planet. I am not saying all of those types of people are that way, but we are conditioned to see them in the positive from an early age.
And I honestly think, at this point in human history, the greatest people are the ones who are simplifying and minimalizing their lives to the point where they have the least impact on nature and the planet. I try to be one of those people, as much as possible in a city by existing just past the poverty line, but all I have to do to live is write.
And I can guarantee that 90% of my writing (blog-wise) is positive, or with my fiction it allows people to escape from the stresses of the modern world.
Anyway, I must say I envy your life a little, but not enough not to say thanks for sharing a slice of it, because for a moment I was out of my flat, and wandering the hedgerows listening to the finches tweet and the bees buzz, and the water lap at the banks of the river in the Glen Parva Nature Reserve.
I'm glad I discovered your post on Dreamport PYP show, and have followed you.
All the best.
P.s. I'm also from the UK and there is a dedicated discord for peeps from the UK. Here is an invite link. Tell them raj808 sent you and they'll know who you mean right away.
https://discord.gg/Q5gWRv7R
If you're already a member just ignore me 😂
Hello @raj808,
Wow! Thank you for your lovely and thoughtful message.
I wish you all the best wishes in being able to get closer to nature. City life is nice for the buzz, but you seem very self-aware, so the countryside and nature would be beneficial for you.
This question below has been playing on my mind a lot recently. I could not have said this better.
I don't think this idea crosses the minds of many, however, I have been doing some self-work recently and thoughts along this same line came to me.
Thanks for the follow, and I'll also check out the Brit discord.
I really appreciated this comment:)
No probs, i often find myself waxing philosophical when i read a post that is thought provoking.
Yeah, that social conditioning is very strong. I came to those realizations through years of meditation.
What you say about me benefiting from being out in nature more is 100% right.
Anyway, nice to connect with someone new on hive 🙂
Likewise 🙂
Wow wow wow. What a stunning surrounding to be in. And the sounds! I have great headphones with amazing sound haha. I once spent two weeks on a narrowboat in the countryside. There was a storm for a couple of days, but the rest of it was serene and calm. We had birds floating around us. It was so amazing.
I want to take a moment to appreciate this number plate, LOL
I too lived a life of stress and soul-sapping routine about a decade ago. I too have moved into a more minimalist and balanced life. Not as minimalist and off-grid as you though.. even though I do go out to experience little bits of it now and again.
Thanks for sharing this reflection. 🙏
Hello Adé,
Yeah, the license plate is so clever. When I saw the van I couldn't stop smiling. The ice cream was so good!
It's so amazing seeing the ducks and birds. This morning I was woken up by a swan knocking on the boat for food. It really makes you realise how intelligent they are. Great vision and alert. They feed themselves and are content as they don't need much food. However, occasionally you'll find one come up to the kitchen window, and it's just like a child telling you I am hungry can I get some food...or that's what it looks like to me. Beautiful creatures :)))
Ah, you are just south of me, maybe about twelve miles of where I am. I like walking along the canal towpaths around Foxton and also some lengths of it closer to where I am. I've been meaning to explore north of Leicester, there seems to be a lot of water up there!
Ah, I just noticed that your profile said Leicester to London:)
Foxton is so lovely.
I do explore Leicester and the outskirts more now that I'm on the boat!
It is lovely being on the edge of the city, a short walk and the environment is quite rural, so different to London. I like that pub in Foxton - the Black Horse (?) - enjoyed a really nice evening there last November, keep promising myself to have a meal there.
Yeah, you hit the nail on the head. That's why I've always admired it the most about Leicester. You do nature walks and feel like you're in the countryside, yet you make a little turn and you're right in the heart of the city. We were moored by Kings Lock for a few nights...just a few metres from the Black Horse pub, which was convenient for friends to park and then visit me.
If you ever happen to see BADGER moored anywhere, or the boat going by, please knock and give us a shout:)))
What a wonderful life you lead... I love the chillaxed style, the ability to up and move on when the heart desires, yet still be anchored, if not rooted ♥️😉♥️ Sounds perfect Milly❣️
This is wonderful... I found my joy again this past year... not that I was unhappy all the time, but I found a few things to call mine, that enrich me and make me truly happy outside of anyone else, and that is so important, so I can very much relate to this!
Sending you much love. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post. Thank you for sharing it🙏
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Wow! Thank you for your lovely feedback @samsmith1971.
I'm happy that you can relate to what I've expressed, and understand my disconnection with happiness.
I'm happy for you that you discovered innerpeace and ability to make yourself happy, too:)
Thank you for your upvote and for taking the time to comment.
I appreciate it:)
Have a lovely day!