One of the reason we wanted to do this roadtrip was to take our time, slow down and go where the wind blows sun shines.

And as someone who wants to do all the things (I’m that person who somehow ended up with more on her plate when everything shut down), to suddenly have an (almost) empty schedule has been… interesting. 

Interesting to watch the patterns in my mind:

“I feel like I should be doing something” (other than reading a book in the sunshine?)

“We’re running out of time!” (even though we haven’t put a time limit on this road trip)

“I need to get up earlier.” (or maybe I could sleep in?)

Interesting to wake up with *very little* needing to be done – to simply enjoy the day as it comes. To enjoy a cup of tea in the morning and a board game (or hike) in the middle of day.

I’m learning to slow down, learning to be comfortable with our (loose) plans changing as we go and learning that unproductive days (by our society’s standards) are OK. 

And it’s hard!!! It’s such a habit for me to want to do more and fit more into my day. 

While I know it’s not often an option to completely clear your schedule, slowing down can still be a conscious choice.

Here are a few things I want to keep doing even after this road trip. 

1 – Slow my mornings: a few years ago, I would almost always skip breakfast and rush out the door in the morning. I would often take one bite of my toast and leave the rest, next to my (still steaming) cup of tea. 

Now I just love those quiet moments in the morning, slowly sipping on my tea, ignoring my phone for the first hour of my day.

2 – Spend time in nature: there are many many articles and studies that shows spending time in nature makes us happier, less stressed and more creative. For me being in nature is connecting to something bigger than myself and being in awe of the innate intelligence present all around us. 

An ant relentlessly carrying a twig three  times its size. 

The power of the ocean when she’s angry. 

The leaves of a birch waving at me in the breeze.

Canyons eroded by water over millions of years. 

3 – Appreciate the little things: growing up my mum made this book for us she called “small joys” (Les petits bonheurs in french). It was a collection of tiny moments of our lives that we appreciated:

The smell of crepes when coming home from school.

Dipping a cookie in mum’s tea

Playing games on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

We have a smaller space now so we have less stuff – and we still have everything we need. And for me that’s a reminder that we make things so much more complicated that they need to be. And I choose to appreciate the little things more!

The sun on my skin.

A cup of tea.

A home-cooked meal in our cosy camper.

A long shower (when we have water hook-ups)

The smell of coffee in the morning.

All of these come down to being more present with what we are doing and remembering that our whole lives are made up of all these tiny moments.