Runners know within minutes whether or not the shoe, quite literally, fits. Just a few strides can indicate whether or not they will become one with the shoe, the force will be with them, or if they have found their long lost solemates. In a world full of complications, it seems that running shoes have the right idea: back to basics.
Natural. Minimal. Minimus.
These words inspire me. They also make me wonder, how come we are so slow to notice ill-fitting lifestyles?
My new solemates just happen to be these fine looking, BOGO50%off-ers:
Pretty, right?
Yes, pretty, but also functional and instructive.
Going minimal in my running has done great things for me over the past year, but shoes are only one piece of the philosophic “minimalist” puzzle here in our cave.
Philosophic mimimalist puzzle, what?!?!?
For me, a minimalist running shoe represents running in an as-close-to-natural way as possible while still protecting your feet from all those stones, sticks, sharp slivers of glass, etc.
And, as a Paleo-enthusiast, that is how I strive to live my life: In an as-close-to-natural way as possible.
Minimalist for me, is not just about the running. I believe it’s about evaluating your whole being and finding ways to sustain you, your relationships, your health, your vitality, and your happiness, naturally and in ways that embrace the “less is more” philosophy.
I prefer the organic, picked-ourselves apples over the grocery store apples any day. I’d rather spend an afternoon mashing them into applesauce than opening a jar full of preservatives. I prefer the lazy afternoon spent picking vegetables from a garden over the produce aisle polka every time. Speaking of time, the time spent assembling delicious meals for my family with help from little hands, the conversation around the table, and the satisfied feeling that follows cannot be replaced at a hustling-bustling restaurant–especially if unsavory ingredients upset our systems later.
This is not to say that our family is not busy at work and at play. Between work and school, volunteer and extracurricular activities, we share many of the same time-pressed concerns as others; however, our adoption of minimalist ideals beyond our Paleo diet (fewer possessions equals less clutter) have simplified what we do and how we do it in our non-comitted time.
And you know what has resulted?
Even though we don’t get to spend more time together, we spend a lot more time enjoying each other. (After all, who wouldn’t prefer a family archery day over a family laundry day?)
And, at least to me, Lovelies, that puzzle’s picture seems just about perfect.
XO
Nikki
ImPerfectly Paleo Sisters 