2020 was a wild ride and here we are nearly at the end of it. Borders are opening up in Australia. The first batch of vaccinations has begun and we all keep trundling along wondering when or if life will ever be back to “normal”. The shopping centres are overrun again in the lead up to Christmas people everywhere. Did I miss this hustle and bustle. No. Did I have trouble keeping myself amused during lockdown. No. Were there things I missed. A few yes, but not like I’d have expected and there were payoffs I’d never given much thought to.

One of things that has grown from this year for me is a deep desire to just slow down. Experiencing that enforced quieter, slower, pace. So much of our lives altered in ways we’d never have experienced otherwise. Realising how well my mind and body responded to that. slower more peaceful pace. With so much less to do. Having more time back to myself. Back from worry, planning, anxiety, work. Back from busyness. To really enjoy simple things and life in general more consistently rather than just be accomplishing things. More present. With less things able to distract or keep us busy. Through confinement really noticing and focusing on our immediate environment. Our home. Myself. My people. My suburb.

I realised slowing down just how nourishing and how much joy I got from that. For me it was about spending more time with the people I love, like or enjoy. Talking, board games, walks. Enjoying my home & for me that means having the time to keep on top of the cleaning and tidying. Sitting reading guilt free on the lounge. Time to waste wandering the stacks in the library. Time to really look after myself, eat well, move, going to bed earlier rather than finishing one more thing. Doing my nails. Trying new recipes with my partner. Night walks after dinner.

All these things lack completely any sort of glamour, prestige, achievement or excitement. For me though they bring deep contentment. Reclaiming my time. Organising my home. Living in a way that brings joy. Being present in the moment with the task at hand, my friends or family. Not ahead in what needs to be done or in the past with what I didn’t get done. Learning that when I have time and don’t feel overwhelmed I really like creating through various means. Baking. Furniture restoration. Gardening. Drawing… many things. That really simple often low cost things bring me enormous joyand contentment payoffs.

I found or maybe I just confirmed that for me joy can lay in the simplest of day to day things. Making good food slowly, mending clothes, folding washing, reading books, looking after your home, a clean kitchen, rambling conversations with people I like. The mundane elevated to enjoyable. Slowing down and enjoying really simple things.

Heading into the end of the year and 2021 I have gained a greater insight into myself and am looking to the future through a different filter. An awareness & knowing, a different mindset and goals. Goals that are both bigger and smaller. (Smaller) Learning to bake, keeping our home tidier, moving more, getting to the library regularly… (Bigger)… in another state or country though maybe.

For many it seems they’ve just taken back up where life left off pre-covid. Grateful that the world is returning slowly to a close approximation of the way it was… maybe with more online shopping though. For me though I’m interested in how my life will look different to how it was. The changes I’ll have success or not in making. The changes in direction or adventures I’ll achieve.

I’m really interested to see if anyone else came out of this time with different goals or mindsets and why and what those were. I’d love for you to share that in the comments.

Talk soon