It's time for summertime, Minimalist friends! I am hopeful this means more relaxed schedules, time for outside play, and maybe some snow cones. And maybe some post/during-pandemic travel. I definitely have travel on my list for the summer, and as 3/4 of us have already had Covid and three vaccines, I am hopeful it won't muck up the plans.
If you're like me, you might start your day with a handful of rituals. Regardless of workday or weekends, I make time to brew a cup of coffee, defeats today's Wordle, and check balances on my Mint app. And also email. In two places, because work and personal. And the news. Which inevitably pops up when I am just trying to solve the Wordle before my 6th try evaporates. It's already a lot of bombardment before I even get to the second cup, right?
I happened upon Austin Kleon's newsletter about Bliss Stations. Consider me hooked. The idea behind this is that you have a place, or maybe just an hour, where you don't know what's in the newspapers, you don't know who your friends are, and you don't know who you owe or who owes you (clearly someone has been spying on my morning habits).
I realized my office at home is none of those things. It IS a cute curated spot with my colored post-its, snarky desk calendar, and rose gold digital accessories. But definitely not blissful. Not really where creativity and thoughts flow.
My job has minimal areas where creativity is nurtured. Science is science, and I gotta teach the kids the way to be good nurses. I can't even stamp "Good Job!" on their homework and grade in purple pen because everything is turned in online. So I have other avenues for creativity. My garden, this blog, house decor. The idea of the Bliss Station grabbed me.
Even if you have a small space that you share with children or other family members, maybe an hour they are at school or before their pre-dawn awakenings is your time to enjoy your bliss station. Away from bills, notifications, news, or other distractions that nag you.
One thing the pandemic and its related quarantine-y times have reminded me is that boredom makes me do bad things. Not like illegal or immoral things, but stuff I wouldn't as easily fall prey to if I didn't have "due to covid" as my fall back excuse. Too many unnecessary visits from Amazon, way too many pounds from baking and drive-thru tacos, and not enough creative outlets. Isn't boredom supposed to promote creativity? Isn't that what we tell our kids when school lets out, and they are bored on the second day of summer vacation? Go find something to do! Be bored!
I'm going to manifest this Bliss Station idea. I have a spot in mind, and there are no electronics there. I will leave my phone on airplane mode (which Austin Kleon calls not just a phone feature - a lifestyle!) and find a creative outlet there in writing, journaling, maybe just drawing what I want the garden to look like next season. I have a salt lamp thingy somewhere in the house, so I will find it and get those good ions zapping around. I do love my colored pens, so they will never be far.
Consider a Bliss Station for yourself. Maybe it's a yoga mat in your closet with some pose reminders and a candle. Maybe it's your patio where you become a bird watcher and cloud namer. Make the time. Austin Kleon and I think you won't regret it!
