On Churros, Minimalism & Making Space

Deep fried dough IYKYK

Welcome to another edition of Love, Peace, and Tacos, a weekly newsletter where I share what I’m feeling, loving, and eating. After a summer hiatus, a new episode of my podcast We’re Never Doing This Again is out! This week’s episode is all about ADHD and dating and features Megan Glennie, an ADHD life coach 🎧

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Friends, I’m deep in decluttering mode. This month, my Mom and I decided to play The Minimalist Game - a 30-day challenge where you get rid of items based on the date on the calendar. Each person gets rid of one thing on the first day of the month. Two things on the second. Three things on the third. So forth and so on. If you play by the book, you’ll have gotten rid of 465 items by the end of the month.

I couldn’t have discovered the Minimalist Game at a better time. My maximalist Mom is looking to downsize her home and needs some accountability around decluttering. While I’m more of a minimalist, I’ll be doing some traveling in 2024 and need an excuse to pare down my possessions before I hit the road.

I thought by this point of the month (today I have to declutter 30 things!), I’d be living in a blank box that’s devoid of possessions, but the change has been both more subtle and more profound.

I still have plenty of things, but the challenge has given me some structure and forced me to reckon with items and tasks that, for whatever reason, I haven’t properly dealt with. I’ve excavated cabinets, cleaned the darkest corners of my purses, and bid adieu to items that were weighing me down emotionally (that gorgeous necklace I wore on a terrible date in 2015 and haven’t worn since? BYE FOREVER!)

It’s also forced me to get real about my lifestyle. Last week, I sold my Vitamix blender because I realized that as much as I wish I was the kind of person who requires a $700 blender to make homemade nut butter on a weekly basis, I am not. Now I can finally stop feeling guilty about not using it!

I’m wildly sentimental, so I’ve also enjoyed uncovering items that I’d forgotten about, like my childhood lunchbox and this cassette single of Stay by Shakespeare’s Sister — a relic from my teenage years (that’s still a bop if you ask me). These have been cleaned and repacked for safekeeping.

Whenever I’m feeling stumped on a particular item, I think back to this affirmation from

Gala Darling

.

The more I let go of things that don’t serve me, the lighter I feel.

While rewarding, re-examining the various eras of your life — item by item — is an exhausting, dusty process. To stay motivated, my Mom and I have been making a point to treat ourselves to something fun and delicious whenever we hit a milestone.

Last week, we stopped by Messob Ethiopian Food in Cook St Village (10/10 recommend!) and stumbled across Churros & Mor, a food truck that sells delicious made-to-order, gluten-free, vegan churros (also 10/10 recommend!)

These are my favorite churros I’ve had in Canada and I love that they’re gluten-free. I got the traditional sugar and cinnamon variety, but they have a couple of different options that they make fresh while you wait.

It also doesn’t hurt that Churros and Mor are housed in an adorable repurposed school bus. Since my initial visit, I’ve gone back a couple of times for seconds, thirds, and fourths 👀

As if piping hot fried dough wasn’t magical enough, the last time we were there a family of peacocks came to visit. (Note: wild peacocks roam freely in my town and until I moved away, I didn’t realize this wasn’t “a totally normal thing.”)

In some cultures, crossing paths with a peacock symbolizes that you’re in the process of rebirth. If you believe in signs, I think that’s a pretty good one.

What have you been letting go of lately?

And what’s your favorite treat or reward for hard work?

Leave a comment or hit reply. I’d love to hear from you.

Love, Peace & Tacos,

Simone