Slow Notes: When less becomes enough
A simple reflection on why the things I keep now are chosen with care, worn with love, and valued more than ever before.
Little notes from me about what I’ve been up to, with personal stories and honest reflections from my own journey of living life more slowly and simply. A gentle space to pause, notice the quiet moments, and appreciate the small things that make life feel rich.
Just in case you missed last month’s Slow Notes, you can read it here.
This week, I thought I’d share a little more of my journey of learning to live more simply…
I think David Barton had a bit of a shock when he entered my bedroom (back in my hometown) for the first time!
Being totally honest, I was a bit of a hoarder! Under my bed were books, books, and more books. There were books stacked under my desk too! And more books dotted around various other places where I could fit them in. I also had A LOT of clothes - clothes that probably hadn’t seen daylight in a very long time. And more socks than one person can wear in a year! I also had clothes that no longer fit, clothes I was saving for when I lost that bit more weight, and clothes I had no intention of wearing again but kept them for ‘just in case’.
…There were even piles of shoes that I had collected but had never worn yet, or would never wear, and shoes I had kept for special occasions - which again, hadn’t seen daylight in a very long time, and I had absolutely no intention of wearing again, particularly the high heels, where each time I had attempted to wear them, I would almost fall over (or actually fall over). The last time I wore heels was for my 30th birthday party (they weren’t even very high) and I half fell over outside on my way to the toilets, and came back in with a bloodied leg.
In my journey of learning to living more simply, I think I’ve done a pretty good job of simplifying my wardrobe and my collection of books, along with plenty of other things too. I like to think that you can never have too many books, but in my case, I felt quite overwhelmed by them. Mostly because they were books I’d collected years ago and I just knew deep down that I was never going to read them (or re-read).
My wardrobe now consists of just a few items of clothing. I even said to David the other day that this is the least amount of clothes I’ve ever owned! But there’s still one area which I really want to simplify. I did make a start but it feels like there’s still just as much - and that’s my jewellery collection. We were watching Charlie Gray’s new YouTube video the other day on jewellery, and it’s definitely inspired me to revisit this area again.
I’ve found it incredibly hard to part with things (even a broken mug), especially when you can remember exactly where they came from and who gave you them. But at the same time (this goes for all materialistic items), sometimes there’s just so much that you just never end up wearing or using them. And that’s exactly what has happened for me. So I’ve given myself a gentle mission over the coming months, which I’ve chosen to accept, and it’s to get my jewellery down to a much simpler amount, and for it to fit in a smaller jewellery box which I can keep close, meaning I’m much more likely to wear what I’ve got.
Enjoying this journal entry? ☕️
If it’s bringing a little calm, happiness, or inspiration to your day, you can support my creative work by gifting a virtual coffee (or a peppermint tea!) from just £3. It helps to support all that I do so much! You can find my Ko-fi page here.
I must also say, that in my journey of living more slowly and simply, I’ve become so much more aware of choosing quality and story over mass produced. Some may say that this can end up being more expensive, and going back a few years ago I would have said the same. But in my own personal experience, I’ve found it to be the complete opposite. I’ve found that I’m actually saving money, and by choosing quality I find that items, particularly my clothes, last so much longer. And by just having a few items of clothing, it’s made me so much more appreciative of them and I really enjoy wearing them. It’s also why my more recent pieces of jewellery have been much more carefully chosen. I’m choosing quality, but I’m also choosing less.
…All of this even weaves into the food I eat - something that I wrote a little about here.
“I had always been stuck in the cycle of wanting more, buying more, and then needing more money. The ban uncovered the truth, which was that when you decide to want less, you can buy less and, ultimately, need less money.” The Year of Less by Cait Flanders.
So, I thought I’d share with you a few pieces of my jewellery that are so special to me and the story and meaning behind them, and to offer a little inspiration too…
My engagement and wedding rings
When it came to choosing our wedding rings, we did look at different options, we even popped into a jewellers in town, but when the shop assistant got out a display of rings we automatically knew that we wanted something more bespoke and unique, something with a story and meaning. Don’t get me wrong, they were lovely, but we wasn’t feeling very inspired by them.
My engagement ring was beautifully made by Alice Stewart, whose jewellery is wonderfully unique, bespoke, handmade, and is inspired by nature and the changing seasons, and contains ethically sourced materials. David chose a beautiful birch twig design. So it completely made sense to have Alice make our wedding rings too. Plus we wanted to keep it simple and so that both rings beautifully matched. So Alice made us two stunning birch twig wedding rings, and she made mine to perfectly fit next to my engagement ring.
My turtle dove necklace
This dove necklace, which David gave me, was also beautifully made by Alice. We loved the story behind her jewellery so much, and as we had already experienced first-hand, the quality of her jewellery is just so incredible and amazing.
“Fond memories of hearing the graceful turtle dove singing amongst the trees on warm summer days, inspired this delicate turtle dove necklace… The iconic turtle dove is a symbol of devotion.” - Alice
My Flower ring
This ring actually belonged to my nan. I don’t know where it was from or the story behind it (although I like to think it has a lovely story now), but it had a stone missing from it and was very tarnished. After my nan had died, it had been left unwanted with some other items, so I brought it back home with me and took it to jewellers to get the stone replaced, which they beautifully did, along with giving it a much needed clean. When I picked it up, it looked like a completely different ring. They did such an amazing job. I’m so pleased that I chose to bring it home with me, and I know that my nan would be so pleased too.
We did also take it to a jewellers here in Lichfield who very kindly looked at it for me, and it turns out the stone in the middle is an Australian sapphire, which was a lovely surprise. It’s not a super old ring, but I’m so happy I was able to get it to its former glory, and it’s such a joy to wear, and knowing that it belonged to my nan makes it so much more special.
I love that learning to live more simply has brought so much gratitude, mindfulness, awareness, discovery and alignment to my daily life, while challenging me in the best possible way to make meaningful decisions that create such a positive change.
Is there a small area of your life right now that you feel gently called to simplify? Can you relate to holding on to things for “just in case,” even when you know deep down you no longer need them?
Support my work with a virtual coffee… ☕️
If you’ve enjoyed this journal entry and feel called to support my creative work, you can treat me to a virtual coffee (or a cosy hot chocolate) from just £3, over on my Ko-fi page. Your support honestly means so much, and it really helps me A LOT!
Just in case you missed it…
If you’d love to learn more about me and my work, you can visit my website here. I’d also love to connect with you over on Instagram - you’ll find lots of beautiful blooms and nature-inspired posts, alongside gentle business musings, reflections, and more.
Until next time!
A lovely reminder that less, not more can fill our hearts with joy! I felt called to share with you my poem that also speaks to this, What if Connection was Currency.
🙏🏼
https://fairiesandgnomes.substack.com/p/what-if-connection-was-currency?r=19igav&utm_medium=ios