Movement, Muse & Mindfulness

by Lisa Nelson-Haynes

Last December, as we looked ahead to a new year, we asked members of our village to share the habits, ways of thinking, and practices they were planning to leave behind in 2020.

One theme that came out of that was the intent to abandon grind culture.

Here, Lion’s Story trainer Lisa Nelson-Haynes gives an update on her own efforts to focus on the present and become more mindful as a way to ditch the always-on hustle.

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A few years ago, I ditched the tradition of making resolutions for the new year and, after talking with a friend, decided to try setting intentions for the new year. I’m sure some of you are wondering, “What’s the difference?” and for many, there might be absolutely no difference. But for me, it’s more about being a work-in-progress, as opposed to an absolute, and while being forced to find new ways of coping, working, and being homebound since March 2020, this seemed like an ideal time to dig a little deeper.

So for 2021, I settled on these three intentions:

1. More movement (meaning physical, keep the body moving)

2. Muse (slow down, dream, and contemplate more)

3. Mindfulness

While moving and musing are two of the intentions that I’ve been continuing to focus on, my mindfulness intention morphed into minimalism — and I mean in a very big and expansive way.

One day, I looked around my home and was totally overwhelmed by the stuff that surrounded me, and became frustrated by the amount of time it took for me to put my hands on documents that I needed to complete my son’s FAFSA application. Once I slowed myself down and took a few deep breaths, I had the urge to grab a big green trash bag and chuck anything that wasn’t serving me in that moment.

First, I started in the bedroom, a room I share with my husband. I decided right off the bat that I wouldn’t throw away or touch anything that wasn’t mine. I realized this was my journey and with everything, my two college-age children and husband were dealing with since the start of the pandemic, demanding them to become a minimalist, like me, was too much to ask. If they wanted to join me, great, but if not, there was plenty of work I could do on my own that would make the difference I was craving.

I went through my drawers, closet, jewelry boxes, and shoes. I used all sorts of criteria in terms of determining if something should stay or go. I Marie Kondo’d the heck out of the space and then ended up with three piles:

1. Trash — Anything with rips or stains was trashed.

2. Buy Nothing — I instantly became a neighborhood darling on our local Buy Nothing page on Facebook.

3. Keep — I use it and it continues to bring me joy!

I also started to look for resources to learn more about minimalism. I sought insights from other Black minimalists because I quickly realized my personal aesthetic doesn’t fit with the “traditional Western, ” i.e. white folks, minimalist aesthetic. I like bold, bright colors. Our home is filled with plants and artwork. I have no intention of painting our walls white or beige and discarding items that make me feel at home.

In my search, I discovered an active afro-minimalist movement on social media, including Christine Platt, The Afrominimalist. (My daughter, Olivia, made fun of me when I ordered Yolanda Acree’s Mindful Simplicity: Practical Strategies for Finding Harmony in Your Home, Work, and Life. She didn’t know how a new would-be minimalist could justify purchasing another book!)

Now, let’s be clear: I’m just beginning this journey and of course I’ve made some missteps, but more importantly I’ve learned that minimalism isn’t solely about tangible things.

In fact, decluttering a physical space is just one component. Minimalism is more about simplifying almost every aspect of your life. It requires deep reflection and practicing the art of letting go of anything and anyone that doesn’t serve you. It encourages you to slow down and think about your purpose at this moment. This for me is the very essence of mindfulness. And I am making progress in my journey by decluttering both my physical and mental space where I’m able.

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When she isn’t serving as a Lion’s Story facilitator, Lisa Nelson-Haynes serves as the Executive Director of Philadelphia Young Playwrights, which aims to bring advanced writing-based literacy skills and an understanding of the transformative power of playwriting into communities and school-based programs.