Week 1

Week 1:
Well, I’ve survived my first week of this minimizing adventure of mine, and while most things have been a fairly easy adjustment, some have been difficult. I’ve had to pace myself when it comes to my take-out chai tea and eating out allotment, and have had to look ahead at possible situations in which these take-out treats are a part of my typical agenda: early morning continuing education class? Starbucks. Forgot lunch at home? Burger King. The two dinners already planned with friends this month will eat up (no pun intended) 50% of my allowable eat-out goal. And unless I want to blow it, I have to make sure that I’m not giving in to every craving and convenience that comes my way. This, of course, brings us to mindfulness.

In the past (see: 6 days ago) trips to the drive-through were so automatic I never really thought about how much I rely on (and take advantage of) those unhealthy conveniences. But setting a measurable goal for myself forces me to think about whether or not I really want, or need, that overpriced deliciousness. The fact that it’s only the 6th and I’ve already burned through one of only two allowable Heine Bros. chai teas tells me how often I was giving in and mindlessly asserting my right to a “medium iced chai, light ice please.” Do I NEED it? No – it was just there.

Aside from how these objectives have been playing out, I’ve also been toying with the specifics of the goals I set. Like, I have a standing dinner meet-up with two separate groups of friends every month, and yet I’ve assigned myself two social events in a 4-5-week period. Do I want these two events to count towards that? It seems like cheating since they’re things I would have done anyway. And with my meditation practice…. If I meditate before bed and end up falling asleep, did I really get the benefits of that meditation at all? First world problems, people. First. World. Problems.

With that said, I have already seen some positive benefit to some of this. I catch myself cursing and have to reel it back in (I’m apparently super fond on the phrase, “Are you fucking kidding me?” as it tends to apply to so many situations). For a plethora of reasons, “Dag-gonnit,” just doesn’t have the same intense ring to it. My road rage has also improved as well, as I’m telling myself, sometimes out loud, that there’s no need for so much impatience as I’m not running late. Or that the lack of turn signals all around don’t HAVE TO affect me. That a 3-second delay between the light turning green and the acceleration of the car ahead is not worthy of “C’mon you freaking idiot!” It’s because of these small changes that I’ve noticed an increased pleasantness in my internal, and hopefully external, demeanor.