Assembling a new Slow Life

Slow Mother Blog

15^th June

Assembling a new Slow Life

Over the past weeks I’ve been slowly gathering recycled materials to create a new living space upstairs in our family home. Change is often confronting in some way and I have sometimes had to gently reassure my Mum that the changes would/could be good.

It has been wonderful to open the house up fully again (for 15 years she had been renting out the upstairs rooms to a boarder) and I’m so happy Mum can enjoy soaking in a bath and enjoying the sun on the upstairs balcony.  The view is like a private oasis of green, thanks to the trees planted 30 years ago. There is a rainforest here in this tiny backyard space – a haven for birds and a filter for motorway pollution. There’s a little vegetable patch, with herbs and salad ingredients and fruit trees on the lower levels.

The upstairs kitchen is now almost finished. I was able to find a used Ikea one to recycle for only $500! I picked it up from a building site in our trusty van – making several trips to fit everything in and then getting Pacha and Yani to help me carry the parts up the stairs. Mum was amazed - my children are strong!

I think we are both feeling lighter and freer, being able to both keep out separate spaces and share them too. 

Pacha and Yani’s passions have infused the house, with the surfing equipment taking centre stage! There are musical instruments scattered around and one of the greatest joys for me at the moment is watching Yani teach himself how to play the keyboard by watching ‘how to’ tutorials on youtube! It’s completely organic and free form and one day, when he is ready, I look forward to seeing him share his talent with the world! Pacha, of course, has been doing this since she was born and never tires of showing people her new tricks!

We are at the beach almost everyday, even in winter, with the kids never getting bored or tired of the waves. Now is the season the magnificent humpback whales pass by and we are always blessed with a gift from nature reminding us how precious life is – eagles, dolphins, pelicans, schools of leaping fish and flocking seagulls, even here in a busy city under the shadow of high-rise resort apartments!

 

Pacha cheers on a little surfer - sharing the joy!

Pacha’s surfing and full of life spirit has attracted some attention from a surf company and she has been given some clothes and a new wetsuit (normally beyond our budget). It’s a little bit daunting for us and our slowsmallsimple lifestyle choices – but without some help it will be very difficult to enter competitions and keep up with all the equipment needed (the more you surf, the more chance the board has of being damaged!) – so we try our best to keep balanced and clear about who we are and what we want/need. The city is full of opportunity and temptations – there is a fine line between ‘fitting in’ and being your own unique self that ultimately Pacha and Yani will have to figure out themselves.