Digital Minimalism

 I was reading one of my blogs on Minimalistic Lifestyle and one of the things she is talking about is "Digital Minimalism."

Many of us have heard about Minimalism. Usually when we hear that we think of decluttering, cleaning, giving old items away to charities, and many think of blank walls and small portions of things in the home for instance, not having all the appliances out of the counter. 

That is a hard one for me in my home. For one thing, I am an appliance junkie. I love things that could make my life easier, for another, I use them often and I just hate taking them in and out of cupboards. So, I compromise. I unplug all the appliances I am not using and only plug in the toaster usually because that is what I use the most. 

Digital Minimalism is nearly the same, however, we are talking about decluttering your life online and on your phone. It is about reclaiming your life.

Minimalism helps us reclaim our time online

I do not have the Facebook app on my phone. I use Chrome to go to the Facebook website and use it there. I spend less and less time online. Which, funnily enough, my friends have noticed. Mostly for worry because of my health issues, so I do health updates here and there for them, and going forward, I am really going to give it my all to post intentionally.

Minimalism stems the spending

It helps us to stop buying things we don't need. I know for sure, that when I don't have WISH on my phone and ETSY and I only have the apps I actually need, it makes a HUGE difference. I also turned off notifications on my phone for most of my apps that are not health-related or needed. This gives me back time in my life and allows me to save more for the things I really want, like travel, vacationing, etc.

Minimalism buys you time

Minimalism buys you time because if you need less, you can work less. I find her words to be true about others who live in fancy houses and have fancy items and while I would love to live in a large house, I do not want the upkeep, high-priced bills, and the rent or the mortgage of those places. People who I know who live like this are under more pressure to work more or to have both the wife and the husband put in more hours to pay for all that. 

Less stuff equals fewer hours.

It really is that simple.

If you lead a simple life, less stuff, less clutter, etc, you find you have more time for the things in your life you really want.

Time is not on my side with Stage 4 Cancer.

For me, every little thing I can do to give me more time is important to me. 

It helps me live the life I want o live not the one I have to live.

Because of the email blog I read, I have more ideas I want to push myself forward to be better at Digital Minimalism in 2023 and years into my future...

• Delete unused apps from my phone
• Post intentionally online and less frequently
• Turn off my phone when out to eat with others
• Purchase items online intentionally
• Declutter my laptop by removing unused programs
• Leave my phone at home when I can
• Take long walks to think to myself and be alone with my thoughts
• Either Journal or Write letters to yourself
• Limit texting others
• Hold "Conversation Time" where you actually speak to others in person at over the phone. 
• Zoom or Facebook Video where you can't be there in person

Other Digital Minimalist Practices from the website "Simple and Straightforward"

• Delete social media from your phone.
  
• Turn your devices into single-purpose computers. For example, keep separate devices for work and personal business.
  
• Use social media like a professional. This means only interacting in meaningful ways that contribute to a goal — not mindlessly scrolling or clicking "like".
  
• Embrace slow media. This includes books, newspapers, and podcasts.
  
• Dumb down your smartphone by deleting unnecessary apps. Try to use your phone more for talking than for text-based communication.

Here are a  couple of websites that I love and in part, 

My thoughts today stem from the article that he wrote on Simple and Straightforward

https://simpleandstraightforward.substack.com/

The blog that featured it was No Sidebar

https://nosidebar.com/

Thank you for reading this far. I would love to see a comment from you and thoughts on what you think about "Digital Minimalism"

With all my love,

Trisha Trixie

Then Cancer Returned in 2019

I looked back at when and what I wrote in my last posts. Now here is the odd part...

The week after I wrote those posts in January of 2019 this year, I found out my Colon Cancer came back. Since then, just like last time, it has been a whirlwind. They found a tumor the size bigger than a grapefruit in my ovaries. We thought it was ovarian cancer so we were told to go to a Gynelogical oncologist. He removed the tumor and I had a hysterectomy removing everything. The tumor had leaked into my abdomen and inflated my belly. While in surgery they did a biopsy and found it was colon cancer. AGAIN. I healed from surgery and then had a PETSCAN. That revealed I still have cancer in my pelvis and abdomen. No surprise there if the cancer was leaking in those areas but not what I wanted to hear.



I started chemo right away.

This is all so different than last time.

This time I am taking Irinotecan, Avastin, 5Fu, Leucovorin. That's my new cocktail.
That's what the doctors and nurses call it. Either way, it sucks. This time I have a higher chance of losing my hair. This time I have different side effects, yet some are the same.  This time it is different but the same.

I have had two treatments now and I will tell you, this time the chemo is kicking my ass. I have been queasy all week. Even now. I hate that. Chemo really wreaks havoc on your body and sadly your mind as well.

I'm awake now because I am afraid to go to sleep.

Which is odd because when I think if I will die, I feel ok with it. I feel like I am a good human. I feel like I left a good legacy. But yet, still afraid. Maybe that is just being a human as well.

I am supposed to do chemo until August. There is a lot left unsaid, unknown.

Metastatic Colon Cancer is vengeful, aggressive, scary as hell and the chances of surviving are 14%!!

That is because this tumor was called a Krukenburg Tumor in my ovaries and the fact that it was a distant site is not good.

I am still being me.

I am brave.

I am courageous.

Sometimes I am very sad.

Sometimes I am happy.

Sometimes I am just here.

Sometimes I sit and my closet and cry late at night so I don't bother my spouse, who is still trying to work, provide for me, caregiver to me and be there for me.

Sometimes I cry in the shower while listening to inspirational music.

Sometimes I am numb.

Sometimes I am pissed and angry as hell at this cancer coming back.

No matter what, I am always me.

I do not know the future of my world.

I am focusing on my next book "Always Wear Peals: Living Life with Style and Grace"

I even started a FB group for it for me to place my thoughts and encourage others to do the same no matter what they are fighting.

I thought my next book would be directly about cancer, but something in me changed.

Perhaps cancer itself.

It can do that.

It really matters to me to "Inspire the World" and I felt this book could inspire more people. Especially women.

Life will pull the rug out from underneath you when you least expect it. Handling that with style and grace is something I work on doing daily. I aspire to be like Jackie O and Audrey Hepburn. Maybe one day someone will "aspire" to be like me. Maybe I can give them hope in the darkness. Maybe I can teach them how to be a positive influence in the world. Maybe I can be a role model for them. Maybe I already have been.

Maybe, this is just another struggle I need to Fall Into Fabulous for.

Maybe this is why my cancer returned. Maybe you need to live vicariously through me. Maybe you can't handle the trials but I can. maybe by me going through it, you are growing, learning, becoming. Maybe I am here to learn. maybe I am here to teach by example. Maybe I need to be there for you.

As I said on Facebook, if that is the case, I gladly will. Because I love you. Humans of the World. Yes, you. I love you and I would do anything for you.

xoxo ~Trixie