Finding Meaning Through Minimalism

Welcome to Merriment & Mirth!

I have recently discovered minimalism. I've always known what minimalism was, but I never knew what it could be... Minimalism found it's way into my life when I began to feel overwhelmed with day to day tasks. There has got to be a better way I often found myself thinking, and sure enough there was. I stumbled across Joshua Becker's Becoming Minimalist blog one day, and after reading his personal story I felt motivated to start taking a few baby steps towards minimalism by getting rid of the unnecessary and the unused. A little over 6 months into this journey of simplifying and mindfulness, and I feel like I can finally start sharing where it has taken me so far. It has had it's ups and downs, surprises and unexpected turns along the way but all good journeys do. The one thing I never expected to find along the way was meaning and purpose, merriment and mirth... but I'm not complaining.

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The End of Slow, The Beginning of Surrender

My third slow experiment is trotting along nicely, and I have come to the realization that these slow experiments are not really doing what I thought they would do. I thought these experiments would lead me to a deeper sense of peace and calm, a more present focus on the moment, a way to really embrace the simplicity of things, but instead I just feel restless and a knowing sense that the year of slow although only three months in is already coming to an end. Instead of being disappointed with this outcome, I'm choosing to be grateful. I'm grateful because everything happens for a reason and the three experiments I have done so far have led me to the realize that this may be the end of slow, but the beginning of something else: Surrender. I have been journaling a lot lately and I find myself often writing 'surrender, surrender, surrender'. Writing those words feels a whole lot like inhaling calm and peace and exhaling anxiety and stress. It is easy to think of ...

21 Things You Can Do In Just 5 Minutes to Savor The 'Slow'

"I don't have enough time" "I wish each day had 48 hours instead of only 24" "I'm too busy" "I'm exhausted" We've all heard and probably used the above excuses for not getting more things done. Time is a commodity and there never seems to be enough of it. However truth be told time is usually not the issue but our inability to prioritize what is important that causes us stress and seemingly 'not enough time'. I have been a slow living enthusiast for a little over a year now. Slow living, to me, means having enough time to still stop and smell the roses. Enough time to appreciate the little things, and take part in the little things. Enough time to make my priorities a priority. Enough time to enjoy life instead of rushing through it. Enough time to savour the sweetness. But despite wanting to live a slower paced life, slow can sometimes still feel busy as Krista from A Life In Progress talks about in her pos...

February's Slow Experiment: Slow Self Care

And just like that my first slow experiment is at an end and the second one is about to begin! It only made sense to me that after slow food comes slow self care so that is what I plan to tackle this month. Plus with February being a bit of gloomy one a little TLC is just what the doctor ordered. Self care means a lot of different things to a lot of different people; For some it means having a detox of social media and processed foods, for others it means the exact opposite and having a cheese burger while taking some time out to scroll through Instagram is what they need. Determining what you need is the biggest first step towards embarking on a self care routine or challenge. As February approaches closer and closer I keep asking myself 'what do I need?' and 'what do I want to achieve?' Neither of these questions are easy to answer for me but what I've realized is that I practise very little self care these days so at this point, anything is better than not...

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