Doing Less, But Being More

As things start to feel more “normal,” I think there’s a calling for people to start doing more again. Sure, we all missed being able to get together and we all slowed way down because of COVID.

But just because we can start to travel more and get together with friends and plan activities doesn’t mean we actually have to do those things.

COVID has really shown me that I don’t need to do all the things. It’s not a race to see who has the most stuff or has done the most things before they die. It’s okay to slow down.

My worth isn’t dependent on the things I own. The relationship I have with myself and my loved ones is much more important.

Perspective is a funny thing. My father has spent more than two months of 2021 in the hospital and a rehab facility. He’s doing fine now but in his time away from home, he had a lot of time to reflect. He got home from being away and said, “Why do I need all this stuff? I have everything I need; I have my family.”

So now, I’m taking a minute to listen to the universe. The message I’m thinking about is, Look at how you show up, Lee.

And I’m not just thinking about how I’m showing up right now but how I’ve shown up over the last few years. I’ve been trying to do it all. But no more. And I’ll no longer allow my worth to be determined by things.

Here is what I mean by that. I recently found an awesome lamp at Goodwill. I loved it. It’s perfect for the house up north. I looked it up on the internet to see what kind of shade would go with it and I saw the lamp was like a $300 lamp from Pottery Barn. Finding a bargain like that made me feel good. Isn’t that funny…

Then I rushed off to tennis. I’m very inconsistent but I love it. It was clinic day. At clinic, we did a drill and I realized how I show up in life. Funny how the universe can speak to you through different things.

The message I was sent was to SLOW DOWN. But I didn’t hear it.

So I left tennis in a rush to get Lucy and while driving to get her, the universe sent me another message. Well, it was the same message actually. SLOW DOWN.

This time it presented itself as I drove quickly and needed to change lanes but had to cut someone off.

I’ve definitely been caught up in the rush rush rush mentality. But now I realize going slower and taking time to appreciate what you have, that quality time with the people around you, is the most important thing.

It’s time to let things go and focus on what’s important. It’s not rushing; it’s not stuff. It’s family and connection and slowing down to do for you.

Are you with me?