What will happen when you start to simplify and implement minimalism in your life? When you have less ‘stuff’ in your life… will it be boring? What will happen when you don’t have shopping, tv, or a myriad of activities to fill the time? Perhaps we sometimes hide behind our busyness and things and unfortunately miss out on building relationships, talking with another person, or having a new experience.
Today was a holiday and my family had the morning just to ourselves. Nothing was on the schedule for this quiet morning and after breakfast was over, someone asked the question, “What are we going to do?”. Absolutely nothing was planned, and that was perfect. I suggested we all go for a walk, and as we set out without a destination my husband said, “Throw a shoe in the air”. And although this seems like an odd saying, we all smile because we know what it means…
The year after I graduated high school I took a year off for a gap year and decided to volunteer with a youth organization for 10 months. While I was volunteering I lived with 3 other girls who had also decided to go on this adventure for a year, and one Saturday we had the morning to ourselves. We didn’t have much with us since we were each living out of a suitcase for the year. None of us had any ideas about what to do together, and none of us had much money. So as we set off that morning, one of the girls suggested that we throw a shoe in the air to see where it would take us. Whatever direction the shoe landed in, we would walk in the direction that it was pointed. (Within reason of course- be safe!)
We all laughed about how silly this seemed, but followed through and just went walking together. Well, that morning’s adventure sent us winding down streets, eventually through a clear path in a small forest, then onto a street where there were a few shops and one small cafe. As the shoe led us to the cafe we went inside and looked around. In the corner of the cafe we found one small room separated from the rest of the store. Inside was a solid wooden table, beautiful lighting, and just enough room to seat 4 people.
As we brought our coffees over and sat down, we joked about how it felt as if that room was meant for us- hours had suddenly been filled with talk, laughs, walks, and coffee together. We were just four girls who had made a simple adventure happen and had experienced it together.
Fast forward years later: I haven’t spoken with these girls in a long time, or been back to that place. But when someone declares that they’re bored, or we don’t know what to do one Saturday morning, I can’t help but think of that day and my husband will hear me say, “Let’s throw a shoe in the air!”
“One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure.”
-William Feather
