I love the boring life

My version of the slow life

Created with Dall•E by me

For years, I've been trying to beat boredom out of my life. I mainly hate it when nothing sparks my interest. When I feel lethargic and open one tab after the other without actually doing anything.

That type of boredom I despise.

But then there's another type I wouldn't even call 'boring' until somebody told me, 'But that's so boring'. The person was criticizing the life I live. A life - now I realise - many would call boring.

Have you ever heard of the Perfect Day exercise?

It's pretty simple: imagine what your perfect day would look like. You can go as crazy as you want, but you must write it all down. Then, you can reverse engineer and ask yourself: What needs to be done to live those perfect days?

My perfect day would look like this:

I wake up without an alarm, open the curtains, and view Italian nature and mountains. I cuddle a bit with Mr. M and then go out for a walk with the dogs. After the walk, I have a coffee and start a 3-hour deep work block of writing in my own perfectly designed office. Then, I take another break and meditate or exercise. I'll do bit more work before preparing a healthy, delicious lunch. After lunch, I'd take 2 hours of reading outside in the garden while the dogs play around. Then, I'd return to work. Working on my online business, having some meetings, talking to readers and clients, and being active on Substack. Until around 6.30 PM. I'd close the laptop and not open it again until the next day. Then, I would prepare a delicious Ottolenghi dinner for Mr M. and myself. After dinner, some more reading on the couch or a call with a friend. A final evening walk with the dogs and then go to bed around 10.30 PM.

Created with Dall•E by me

Many people would call that 'boring', but to me, it sounds perfect. I'm far from living these perfect days. There are no dogs yet in our lives. I'm not looking out to nature here, and I don't have a perfectly designed office or garden. There's no thriving online business yet. More often than not, I cook basic healthy food without all the good Ottolenghi stuff.

But I already live a 'boring' life. Or slow life, as others would call it.

It took me a while to get there, though.

Before COVID, I commuted to the office every day. I would spend at least three hours a day commuting. I was single, not saving a dime, and my evenings were filled with activities. I wasn't reading or taking good care of myself. I was addicted to scrolling. Running was not a part of my life. I tried eating healthy but often failed miserably. The mindset was negative; I was drinking a lot of alcohol. I used the weekends to 'relax and unwind', often ending up with a huge hangover, wasting my Saturdays and Sundays.

Compared to my old life, today, I'm much closer to this 'perfect day' than I ever was.

The 'slow life' you see and read about is still much more idyllic than my 'boring' life. But I'm not striving for that aesthetically pleasing look for videos. I'm striving for a life that makes me happy and feel fulfilled. And honestly, when I'm reading my book in the late afternoon, sitting in the sun on our terrace from our (too expensive) small rental apartment, I am pretty happy and feeling damn fulfilled with my life as it is.

One more note: a lot has also changed since relocating to Milan. In Ghent, where all my family and friends are close, I would go out much more than here. Although I miss them, it's also liberating to have free weekends and evenings instead of having to search for a day to meet, and the first thing that's possible is 2 months later.

Hope you enjoyed this short piece!

Have a great week,

Marie

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