Month 5: May Misnomer
Vision Board
While consuming less has brought clarity in some areas, a vision board felt like a meaningful way to nurture the murkier ones.
“We turn not older with years, but newer every day.”
— Emily Dickinson
Confidence I Can Avoid Consuming This Month:
After gathering a few tools that support the person I’m becoming, I won’t lie, the consumption itch crept back in. That little voice whispered, “Just one more thing.” But here’s where I landed: I replaced two well-loved items that I had genuinely lost, and then I paused. That felt like a sweet and satisfying place to stop.
Spring has a way of nudging us toward renewal. You might feel it too. It’s like an invitation to buy, refresh, or restyle, especially with all those fashion microseasons surfacing like clockwork. But I gently offer this reminder: not yet.
Stay steady. That fresh-start energy you’re feeling? It’s real. And we’re going to honor it. Just not with fast fashion or impulse buys. Wardrobe wisdom is coming near the end of the Lesser Consumption Trek. Hang tight.
Room for Exception
We’ve just about arrived at the halfway point of our 9 month Lesser Consumption Trek. For half a year, we’ve been trimming down to the essentials (gas, groceries, toiletries). Additionally, for those who speak the love language of gift-giving, we’ve made space for giving to others. But this month, I made an intentional exception.
And I want to encourage you to make one too.
Releasing the Grip of Consumption
By now, you might feel a little freer. A calmer mind when scrolling past those Instagram ads. Less impulse when you think of Prime shipping. Maybe you’ve even flirted with the idea of deleting your Amazon account. That’s progress. That’s unlearning.
But in this space you’ve cleared, something new might be trying to bloom.
What’s Sprouting in You?
February gave me the courage to date myself.
March let me release my indecision.
April showed me intersections of self and the clarity that followed.
Then came May.
Some choices (like our family land decision) felt rooted and ready, like a perennial finally blooming after six years of care. But other ideas? They’re seedlings still under the soul. Just beginning. And for seedlings to grow, they need the right soil.
For me, that soil meant coming face-to-face with a truth I hadn’t wanted to admit: I had abandoned myself.
A Moment on My Knees
It hit hard. One night in the shower, hands on my forehead, tears streaming. I realized that many of my struggles in recent relationships stemmed from not knowing my own limits. Many session with my journal (and shout out to my therapist) I learn it came from not saying no. Let me be clear. I believe it is no one’s place to say no to others. I didn’t know how to say no for myself.
When we move through life running someone else’s race, even if it’s the person we love most in the world, we lose track of where we’re headed. The gut instinct? It stops working. You’re no longer in the right place, literally or metaphorically, for your dreams to grow.
That realization hurt. But it also gave me a compass again.
So Here’s the Exception
May is bringing me back to me. And from that grounded place, I gave myself permission to gather tools that would support my becoming.
Enter: the vision board.
This was not a purchase of distraction. This was a purchase of direction. Of intention. And if you're feeling the early tremors of rediscovery too, it might be time for you to do the same.
Making a Vision Board That Feeds You
Here's the framework that worked for me. I started with Three Core Categories:
Energy What nourishes you? What fuels you? Are you trying to learn this?
Heart What ignites passion? What fills your days with meaning? Are you trying to learn this?
Mind What brings you peace? What connects you to something greater? Are you trying to learn this?
Start by creating a Google Slides deck and give each category 10 slides. I copied and pasted images from Pinterest into the categories that fit. Some images seemed to fit 2 or even all 3 categories. This is good. It is good to know what visions or tools in your life speak volumes to numerous pieces of you. Transitional images are essential.
Each day, I’d revisit the slides. New images would come. One night, I remembered how my palms cup and thumb touches the pointer like the “ok” emojji. Most crucially, my pinky finds the middle knuckle of the outside of the ring finger. When my hands are in this position, I feel poised, put together, and ready to respond. In short, I call these my version of “Barbie hands”, and I place this form on my knees when I meditate. And so, I searched for abstract art of delicate and poised, artistic hands and added it to my Mind slides.
After about 5 days of visioning, I gathered my materials: a foam board, double-sided tape, wall-safe mounting strips, a good pair of scissors. I spent a Saturday afternoon collaging, choosing a spot in my home to display the evolving me.
It wasn’t quick. It wasn’t effortless. But it was worth it.
Tools for Who You Are Becoming
Creating that board showed me what I needed. Yes. Needed.
So I made another exception: I purchased a handful of tools to support my growth.
Pull-up bands from Rogue
A locally made agate ring (my “nutrition-conscious” ring—it reminds me to pause and consider what I’m consuming)
A soothing morning tea
Six books to guide me into the next season (see these in the Lesser Consumption Tools page)
Although I first dealt with some guilt for breaking my original commitment, I realized these aren’t indulgences. They’re tools. They’re aligned with our blog values: simplicity, reflection, community. I asked myself honestly, “Do they support the life I think I’m building?” If yes, I welcomed them with gratitude.
And full transparency: I also replaced two lost items I loved. My barefoot sandals and my Hydro Flask (adding these in the Tools page soon!). I’m not beating myself up over it. I’m practicing the discernment we’ve been building all year.
Give Yourself the Green Light
If you’ve been waiting for a sign to lean into a new season, this is it. You don’t have to white-knuckle your way through transformation. Sometimes, the most radical act of simplicity is choosing tools that make the journey sustainable.
So this month, make the exception.
Make the vision board.
Gather the tools.
Come back to yourself.
And if you’re curious, I’ve shared the items that came out of my visioning process on the Tools page of the blog. Maybe something there will speak to your journey too.
With roots and wings,
Tori
Psyche Butterfly
