I have been simplifying my life lately, and I've cut back to part time work, and with more time and less stuff, I have felt so much open up in my life.
Well, today I discovered an unexpected benefit: I'm nicer! I went to the grocery store today to pick up a few things, and because I wasn't in a hurry I had time to walk slowly up and down the aisles (gathering blinkie coupons for my train
), and when I got in line and the 17 year old cashier had to call over a manager to fix a problem for the customer in front of me, I found that I wasn't impatient! I normally would have been tapping my foot, rolling my eyes and all kinds of things, and instead I looked the cashier right in the eyes and smiled. When she started ringing me up, she apologized and told me it was her second day. "Oh! Well, you're doing great!" I told her, and I left the grocery store feeling good and uplifted, instead of frustrated and depleted like I used to be.
Has anyone else noticed unexpected benefits from cutting back?