From a Canadian City to Deep Country in Mississippi

I was born & raised in a 100 thousand people  city in Québec, Canada. My whole family speak french, they all live in the city too. So my experience with the dirt and the mug of the country was quasi non-existent.  A few visit at a farm… and that is it.

By destiny  I met an american online and after months of relation, I decide to take the big step and move with him in the deep country of Mississippi.

Maybe one day I will talk to you about all my cultural shocks but this is not what this is about today. Today I want to talk to you about the evidence that we are made for a certain lifestyle and we just don’t know it.

I never thought that at 30 years old I will move from my hometown and I will live in a place where the closest shop is twenty minutes of car away. I thought this lifestyle was absolutely NOT  for me.

I couldn’t stand to think that I will be bored like he.. l in a town where nothing happen. But I was motivated by love and probably a lot of hope.

You can imagine how surprise I was when I first saw a cow in the backyard. I was like : Wô, this is cool (and that stink too), neighbor's dogs running everywhere without a leash, a bunch of goats in a front yard and all that stuff I haven’t seen yet.

It took me two months to realise that this was my life now  and I have to stop “grieving” my old city lifestyle.  And then it happen : I realise that I love country. I love that everyone waves hands when they see you, the breath of fresh air when you take a step outside, the absolutely amazing view and the calm of it. The calm of not having the pressure of a social status, the calm of being who I am, the calm of a walk outside with my boyfriend looking at the cows playing with each other. Having the chance to have a nature lifestyle.

I thought that I was a city girl cause I haven’t experience anything else. Now that I took a step out of my comfort zone, I realize that I was made to be a country girl. I raise and feed chickens and it make me happy and alive. I’m proud that they were just baby chicks and now they are big and ugly. I’m proud that I contribute directly to nature. I slept every night without car or motorcycle sounds!

I have the feeling that I am in communion with myself here and it’s amazing. I saw a sky full of stars for the first time without buildings, house and everything. Just a dark sky and thousands of stars. I was almost in tears. What a beautiful life is out there that I knew nothing about.

I always been a nervous person in the city and here, I am more in peace. I found calm and beauty everywhere. Why ? Cause I decide to take a step outside my comfort zone. I decide that I will try something else, I will learn, I will live and I will maybe enjoy it.

Now I know that I am not just used to it, I am happy in it. I am happier in this environnement.  I still enjoy going out in the city for a couple of days, but I am happy to see my stinky chickens and come back in this small town.

You know when you read something like you are just one decision away for a complete different life. This is it. I took the decision to follow my heart and It lead me to found the real me.

This is what life is about, experiment, take a chance, step out of comfort zone, make mistakes, try, learn, assume your choice and then found happiness.

Love,

Vé

Are you a city or a country girl and why ? Leave a comment

The benefits of nature

I’m not the only one who feel that nature awaken my soul.  There is something so peaceful at looking a pretty landscape, smelling the sea, feeling the wind on our skin. I am always amazed by how it change my mood, transform my health to spend some time outside just enjoying being there.

Wonder why ? Here is some facts for you that will convince you to open the door and get lost in nature.

• Reduce your stress!
• Wake you up
• Boost your immune system
• Reduce Blood pressure, heart rate & Muscle tension
• Reduce anger, fear & anxiety
• Help fight Depression & help have better mood.
• Make you feel like a kid again

This is really amazing how it can affect positively your life. Just a little time outside per day reduce considerably the stress and the bad effects of being in front of a screen all day.

Scientifics said that we are instinctively programmed to find trees, greens, plants and survive in nature. This is why, we always feel like home where we are outside. Our basics instincts feel complete. How cool is that?

Nature is also the perfect place for meditation, while you just contemplate the beauty of god creation, you can also have deep thoughts about your life. Ask questions and you will have an answer.

Next time you are outside, think of all the good things you are doing to your body.

Love,

Vé

5 easy steps to start a more minimalist lifestyle!

I’m not the only one who discover that she get over budget after the holidays. It is not the first time that I have been interested in that minimalist and simple lifestyle but it seem too much for me to really commit to it.

Six months ago, when I move from Canada to the United States, I need to pack my stuff to make them fit in my car. Considering that my precious dog was taking the passenger seat, everything need to fit into the trunk and the back seat. So I had to make life choices. I had to pick my favorites clothes, my favorites home decor, books, kitchen stuff and everything.

When I arrived here I notice that I made really poor choices for almost everything. My clothes were not appropriate for my new climate, I left my coffee machine for cookie stamps….(yes really) and by hairdryer for a ton of jewelery & nail polish.

After six months, I realised how much money I spent to buy things that I really need and clothes and shoes that is really useful insted of cute.

I’m now working from home so I don’t need a whole office wardrobe. I am living in the country so rain boots are more useful than highheels that hurt my feets. Nail polish? Haha a real joke.

I always use the same one anyway! So why are we so attached to superficial things ?

The answer is simple, we do think we need them to be happy. This is what marketing want us to believe.

My own example : the nail polish? If I ever ran out of my favorite one (which I doubt by the way) i’ll buy a new one.

My high heels? If I ever really need shoe like that for an event, I just have to borrow them to someone. You see where I am going.

We have to redefined our priority and our way to see material stuff. What makes me happy in life have nothing to do with a statuette in ceramic. Society, marketing, facebook and all social media make us think that to be happy we have to reach a certain standard of material. This is so wrong. Why ? Because happiness is free.

So in case you want to start a more minimalist lifestyle here is my first 5 easy steps.

1. Time to declutter your house!

When I first visit New york city, I bought Fridg magnet : I love new york, a statue of liberty in ceramic, a yellow cab in plastic...all stuffs that get dust in my closet and that I never really used. So the first thing to do is to identify all the things you don’t need anymore and get rid of them. A tip : if you haven’t use a thing for more than a year, you don’t need it!

Make 3 piles : To give, to sell and Trash.

Sell all the things you don’t need or want anymore and that you can have money for it. Use facebook site, app like let go, ebay ...etc. Take all the money that you make for it and keep it to pay your debt! You will see that the things that you don’t want anymore worth more that you think. 

2. Make a good inventory of your closet

Now that your house is clean make a really good inventory of your wardrobe. Classify your clothes by seasons and put in the attic your clothes that is not in the current season. This way, your wardrobe will be simple and you will know and see what you have. You will also use your clothes. You will probably realise you already have more than you need. You don’t need short in winter time, so no need to keep them in your wardrobe in that period. It took much space and make you lose time when you dress in the morning.

3. Need to buy something?

You need to buy something new ? Think. Do I really need it? Can I borrow it ? Can I make it? Can I buy it used?

With these simples questions you will realise if it’s a need or a desire. If you can live without it and if you can save a couple bucks by buy it used. It’s not about stopping wanting to buy things, it’s more making better choice, buy more quality that will last longer and used the things you already own.

Simple but this is what minimalism is about.

4. Look what you can cut off.

It’s not about cutting everything in your life all at once, it’s to simplify your life. What’s in it need to be cut off ?

Reduce expenses :For example, you have HBO and you pay for it every month and watch a movie once in a while ; You don’t really need it.

You buy a coffee every morning on your way to work ; try to make it at home at least half of the week.

You pay a lot of money on your hair or your nails ; learn to do it yourself.

Reduce stress and toxic : You realize that one of your friend is always negative and complaint a lot and make you feel anxious ; Try to reduce the contact with that toxic person for a while.

Work or school stress you ; Learn how to meditate, deal with your stress with simple tricks that work for you.

Reduce wasting time for quality time :

You really like to workout and you have the feeling you don’t have time for it in you busy schedule ? Take a close look at your habit ; you may waste a lot of time on social media, in front of the TV on tv show you don’t really like.

You can reduce the time you waste complaining, laying on the couch, scrolling your facebook etc to spend quality time doing the things you really like and make you feel alive.

Think about what is the thing you want to change, what is your goal, write it down and make a plan!

5. Be happy with what you have and learn to find happiness in free stuffs.

Walking with my dog , drinking the first sip of a warm coffee, writing in my journal, planning in my agenda, spending time in the nature with the people I love make me happy. All those things are free. For you it might be something else but if you really look at all those little things that you do that make you feel better, you have something. Write it down and even create a routine with it will help you be more mindfulness and you will learn to be happy with things that doesn’t cost a penny.

Another thing, is to be happy with the stuff you already have. Yes in this life someone will always have something prettier, better, more expensive than you. So what? Is it a sign of happiness? No. Be happy and content with what you already have, this is the way to be happy with a simple life. Material is not a sign of success or a sign that you will be happy. Happiness is an inside job and it can be create by yourself. After all, it all start with the choice that you made and the effort that you put in it.

That is my first easy steps to start having a more simple life. Do you have any tips you want to share ? Is this article speak to you? Leave a comment!

Have a dream, Get a plan, Make it happen!

I am the kind of girl who like to have many projects on the table at the same time. When I don’t learn or work on something I feel like my life don’t make any sense. One of my hobby is writing. I love writing but for some reasons I don’t pursue it in day to day life. I write some stuff, let it in my computer and nobody read it.

I was watching a TV show the other day and they were talking about action. When you want something you have to make it happen. This is so true. I want to write. In 2017, I want to write and be read. This is my goal.

I was a little bit overwhelmed by the idea of creating a blog. Will I be able to interest people? Will I be able to write good english (because my first language is French) ? I told myself that If I never try i’ill never know. So pardon my french when I make some mistakes and I will live with it, sometimes it will probably make you laugh but that is the fun part.

Cause making mistakes and not reaching perfection, well it’s human!
So Now I decide to get a plan, to make it happen. I’m now taking the bulls by the horns and writing on this blog. I have the chance to share my life experiences, my tips with other people around me and everybody told me : you should write a book, you should do something with it. I was : well, one day… Now this is the day. I’m doing something wih it.
Because life it’s too short to do it later or one day.

Hope you will have fun reading me, can’t wait to hear about it.
With love,