“Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” –Mary Oliver
No, I don’t plan to talk about Moveable Feast – the book in the photo – which I’ve never read and don’t plan to. Along with a slew of other books, we donated it to our local library in last month’s massive round of decluttering.
What I want to share with you instead is a different kind of moveable feast: a new-found love, passion project, and daily practice of sorts – courtesy of a free mobile app a friend told me about called “1 Second Everyday.” This tool allows you capture and record your life in one-second increments. Think: visual diary… (like in the video below).
How it works
Basically, here’s how I play with it: Every day I upload a photo or a video clip into the app. It could be a thing of beauty I encounter on one of my daily walks, a video highlight of my day, or a special moment in time that feels significant or memorable.
These daily snapshots by themselves don’t telegraph much. They don’t always add up or make sense or follow a particular chronology. It isn’t until you view them as a whole that interesting themes and revealing patterns start to emerge.
Woven together, these daily impressions give me insights about what I’m choosing to focus on, for example, or what I love and care about, what matters and what doesn’t.
A daily practice
But more than a fun tool for me, it’s a practice that helps me tune into the dailiness of my life; to reflect and appreciate those small, ordinary, rich, and sometimes messy moments that can easily get lost in the noise of daily living.
My August footage – which highlights my latest clutter clearing spree – turned out to be quite a feast! It showcases what a month (of processing, pondering, laughing, and releasing) looked like in our household. You can watch it below.
What would a month in your life look like if you took a moment every day to mine (and mind) it?
There are infinite ways to cultivate a daily mindfulness practice, of course. If clearing is a priority, there are some good ways to fold conscious awareness into a daily practice, which, if you ask me, can change the game for good! These guided steps can help you get started.
And PS, If you missed reading about my latest personal adventures with clutter clearing, you’ll find them by clicking on my post “From Attic to Bookcase: A Clearing to Remember” HERE.
Best with sound. Note: The app is free, but if you want to add enhancements like music, as I do here, you need to upgrade for a small fee. (And PPS, in case you’re wondering, the folks at 1 Second Everyday did not pay me to talk about their app 😉)
