Building Healthy Habits
In this entry I talk about minimalism.
But I also talk about hygiene - in space and with kids.
When you imagine a minimalist home, what do you think of? Clean white walls, smooth lines, maybe a certain style of furniture... It's beautiful but can seem intimidating or impractical.
What if, instead of a style, we take a few minutes to think of minimalism as a philosophy?
Minimalist Music
Let's talk about minimalist music. I'm listening to Philip Glass as I write this blog. With minimalist music, they break a piece down to the most basic elements. Then they repeat those elements in a loop. The composer then builds it back up, slowly, testing and deciding along the way if that element really needs to be added back. If an element adds nothing to the piece or detracts from the main theme, it is removed until/unless it is needed again. They may try to add an element back when another that once conflicted is absent. The end result can build into a stunningly complex and beautiful piece. A process of deconstruction and reconstruction brought about that complexity and beauty. And part of the fun is hearing how the composer reached that final melody.
Here is an image of sound waves, captured by a recording software.
What Minimalism Isn't
Minimalism isn't about doing without for the sake of doing without. It is about finding a core, and making sure no other pieces detract from that core.
What Minimalism is to Me
Minimalism is stripping away to determine what is truly needed in that moment with those variables, and adding back only what is of value. It is a process.
This process is something I have employed in many aspects of my life over the years. It helped me to stay focused in school and to determine my path in life.
Minimalism and Teaching Kids
More recently the process of minimalism has taken on new meaning. It has become especially useful when teaching children basic life skills, like chores or hygiene.
Example: Brushing Hair
As an example, let's look at brushing hair. It can be tricky. What is the core skill of that task? The core is the one element that all others depend upon. Sometimes it's difficult to see at first. So let's gather the elements. Elements include skills and tools.
There's hair, something to run through it like a brush, an individual might need the hair to be wet or to use a conditioner or cream, there's the ability to hold that object securely and move it through the hair gently, without hurting...
For us, the core skill for brushing came down to gentle movement. If the child could not brush their hair without pain, they won't want to work on improving. Being gentle was more important than the brush,
but some brushes encourage you to be gentle! Like the style pictured below. With many tiny bristles close together, these take longer to work through thick hair, but there's no tug or pull in the process. It becomes a relaxing and soothing bonding experience to work through the hair.
Here's a picture of Astronaut Jan Davis brushing her hair in orbit in 1997 (NASA)
Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli showed us in March 2024 that caring for hair in space can be very tricky! Here's a photo of her holding a broken brush that didn't survive her expedition to the ISS.
Here is a link to a post she made about it on Facebook. If things don't quite go right, it will be ok!
Breaking it Down
Choose Your Task
Identify the core skill of this task.
Try it out.
Let's work on this core skill until she has it down.
What is the next element that she can learn?
Has she learned all of the elements, and can she put them together?
Can she find the tools she needs to do this task alone?
Has it become a habit?
If you tackle a task from the core, and make the core habit, then build it up slowly so each element builds on the core habit. Use tools that make your core task easier for you, then mastery is possible.
Future Spaceship Designs
Let's take a moment to look at a minimalism-inspired spaceship design.
This future glimpse at Virgin Galactic's Spaceship cabin is designed with smooth lines. Their focus on crew comfort is apparent I. Their seat design. With so many windows, they clearly prioritize the view.
Here's a photo of a recent mission. They definitely prioritized the view.
Share your thoughts in the comments.
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