AUGUSTA — Brooke McAlary, author of “SLOW: Simple Living for a Frantic World” and host and creator of “The Slow Home Podcast,” at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 1, at Lithgow Public Library, 45 Winthrop St.
McAlary will share her personal path to achieving happiness through a simpler and more fulfilling existence.
The following topics will be discussed:
• Declutter: Clutter represents deferred decisions, procrastination and overcommitment in the form of stuff. McAlary got rid of more than 20,000 items from her home in a year. McAlary will share the six obstacles to getting rid of the clutter and why clearing one drawer at a time is the most effective way to start.
• Be Mindful: Living mindfully is simply paying attention. Start by tapping into the tiny details of life, and you’ll soon find yourself experiencing and engaging more.
• Disconnect: Technology isn’t the problem, it’s how you choose to use it. McAlary recommends simple steps to make real connections, including removing screens from dinnertime and your bedroom, removing notifications and visual reminders, only checking social media on one device, and only checking email when you have time to respond.
• Maintain a Wobbly Balance: We’ve turned balance into a constant struggle rather than a long game. Stop trying to do it all perfectly and instead embrace the “ish.” Let go of the all-or-nothing mentality and accept that sometimes life just happens that way and that there is no need to feel like a failure.
McAlary is a slow-traveling, gutsy, shiraz-appreciating writer who, after being diagnosed with severe postpartum depression in 2011, embarked on a one-woman mission to cut out the excess in her life and reconnect with what was really important. She is now immersed in the Slow Living philosophy and makes it her mission to help others define and achieve their slow-living goals.
She writes the blog Slow Your Home and hosts and produces the podcast The Slow Home Podcast. Hailing from Australia, she is currently slow-traveling her way around North America with her family.
For more information, visit slowyourhome.com or lithgow.lib.me.us, call 626-2415, or email julie.olson@lithgow.lib.me.us.
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