Question what you do

I really don't have any concrete answers. I think life is too chaotic and changeable to have answers that I'm always sure of. I have plenty of questions though. My strategy in my own life is to reassess all the time. What is working stays, what doesn't work is changed or dropped. Of course I have the values I live by, they're ever present, steadfast and unchanging, but day-to-day life, how processes are carried out, how things are organised, how often I do this or that - all that is changeable. How I do things may change. Why I do things never does. My life is values-driven. I hope yours is too.

Many years ago, when I lived a more mainstream life, there was  no self-evaluation and life stayed pretty much the same year in and year out. I followed fashion and didn't question much. Money was spent, and when it ran out, credit cards were used.  I find it surprising now to know that there was no long-term view. It was instant gratification on a daily, if not an hourly basis. It was all such a waste.

Now I question most things and even if I did they same thing yesterday I'll question whether it should be done, or done the same way, today. The way I do these mini-audits is to question my method and ingredients every time I make something we use here.  Soap, for instance, almost every time I make it, I ask myself the same question: do you want to add essential oils to this soap?  So far, every time, the answer has been no. It's not been quite the same with laundry liquid. Over the years I've questioned the sometimes lumpy consistency of it and started processing the finished laundry liquid with the stick blender to get a smoother liquid with fewer lumps.  Sometimes I'll read something at the forum or hear in a conversation, something that I want to try and when I start doing that thing again, I'll think about how the new way might be an improvement. I might try it once and then evaluate again. I always try to improve what I do. I never think that what I do is perfect and can never be changed and I've left behind forever the mindlessness of mainstream living, so the questions are simple but they're always asked. Sometimes I question the process before I do it, sometimes it's during the task.  It doesn't really matter when you ask the questions of yourself, but it does matter that you do.

As your life changes, as you grow older, when babies are born, when older relatives die, when money is tight and when the good times visit, you'll probably need to change your routines, methods and what you do to fit in with the new circumstances. Sometimes those changes will be long term, at other times they'll be fleeting. If you're happy for the time being about where everything sits, then question your values. Nothing is set in stone. You may have new information about certain things that you can incorporate into your life plan. Question it all, don't be afraid, an unexamined life doesn't amount to much.

If you've been living a simple life for a few years now it might be time to reassess, regroup and start asking questions. Do an audit to assess what is working, what needs tweaking, what can be left alone. But if you're like me and question what you do every time you do it, you may not need an audit, you'll be modifying your routines and processes as you go. But one thing is for sure, simple life will never be static.

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