welcome to simply start living 2.0!
a reimagined second act
Welcome to Simply Start Living 2.0 – after a deep winter hiatus it feels so good to be back… and evolving into a new chapter in a brand-new virtual home!
I wanted to give SSL a new look and feel – one that would compliment the thoughts and curations I’m looking forward to sharing, whilst still retaining the peaceful calm inspired by my coastal surroundings. My intention is for it to be a place that celebrates the visible, modern midlife woman – the one who has oh-so-slowly begun to permeate our consciousness and whom a number of incredible midlife women have been championing for years. It will always be a place of honesty and reality, infused with positivity, humour and joy… because despite the challenges midlife lays at our doorstep, there is still so much to be grateful for. Life is layered and the lighter aspects deserve their time in the spotlight too – the small moments, simple joys, impactful words and thoughtful curations to enhance everyday living.
When the ideas for 2.0 began to take shape and I found myself in that exciting but somewhat frustrating stage of trying to pin them down in a way that made sense; I thought about the core foundations on which my own midlife journey is built and sometimes leans heavily upon. In amongst all the notes, scribbles and moments of quiet reflection I kept coming back to the same three words…
LIVE, EVOLVE and FLOURISH
live
This has always meant making the most of the small moments – hands up if you remember the #ElevateTheEveryday years. In later life, a sentiment that started out as a catchy hashtag has morphed into a set of ingrained practices that feel like vital components of thriving in midlife. Whether that’s appreciating the beauty in nature, feeling aligned and in tune with the seasons or creating calm, peaceful spaces in the home; all of this has ended up becoming a midlife modus operandi of sorts. When I remember to make time to participate in the small rituals of life – get lost in a book, go for a walk, explore places I’ve always wanted to visit, re-arrange a corner of a room or cook a delicious meal – I feel grounded and am suffused with gratitude for the plain fact of still being here, still living this life. Simple or indulgent, significant or fleeting… it all matters and it never hurts to receive reminders to seek out these elements in some small form or another, every day.
evolve
In recent years, this word has become a vital part of my raison d’être – last summer I had it tattooed on my inner forearm to serve as a permanent reminder. It isn’t about all-out change or the cult of striving for self-improvement - nor is it seeking some unobtainable level of perfection that permeates so much of what we consume now. It’s about understanding the need for fluidity and appreciating how this stage of life continually ebbs and flows in and out of the highs and lows, the difficult and the delightful. It’s about stopping to reflect, taking full notice of how life is in the here and now, assessing the impact on day to day living – and wherever possible, pausing to make realistic, subtle course adjustments to accommodate. It’s honesty about facing the realities of being a midlife woman but never forgetting to highlight the joyous, the liberating and the downright hilarious moments too.
flourish
In order to get somewhere close to flourishing, I’ve come to realise that wellbeing in this stage of life requires more than a little effort… and should be prioritised a lot higher on my own list than it has been in the past. It isn’t however, centred around endless restriction, food fads, a prescriptive regime - any regime for that matter - goal setting or subsequent sharing of goals achieved under the guise of being empowered…whilst (literally) dancing to the tune of a Tinsta-Tok algorithm. It’s about listening and focusing on what the body and mind needs in each separate instance – rest alongside movement, indulgence next to nourishment, creativity for no reason other than enjoyment and enjoying beauty and self-care products for how they make me feel rather than what they claim to reverse or prevent. More significantly, it’s about removing anything that purports to a state of happiness being reliant upon notions of improving, striving or perfecting. It’s about feeling visible, celebrated, valued and relevant… and carving out the time and space to facilitate those beliefs.
style
Alongside all of this, there will always be an enduring love of my faithful friend, style. I’ve talked numerous times about getting dressed in midlife and no doubt, will continue to do so on repeat - you can take the woman away from style blogging, but you can’t take style blogging away from the woman! I might spend Monday in a cashmere sweater, wool trousers and red lipstick and Tuesday in joggers, pyjama T-shirt and dog-hair covered cardigan, but I’ve never lost that feeling of pure joy when it comes to talking about clothes and the sometimes complex but always pleasurable self-expression of style. If like me you’re drawn to Minimal, Relaxed and Effortless when getting dressed in midlife then I’m pleased to inform you that you’re still in the right place for that too.
For this evolution of Simply Start Living, I’ve had the absolute joy of working with Victoria from Coast & Bloom. One look at her website and Instagram feed and I was literally standing on her virtual doorstep, notes in hand, asking when the next design slot would be available. Right from the get-go, she absolutely got me and the vision of how I wanted the site to look and feel. Sharing ideas, planning and watching it all come together has been such an enjoyable and invigorating process – thank you so much Victoria - I owe you a lot of coffee… and maybe a glass of something fizzy too!
She’ll get embarrassed at this episode of parental flag waving, but I’ve also been so proud to hire H for a couple of photoshoots for Simply Start Living imagery. As she works towards the end of her A Levels, I’ve watched her photography go from strength to strength - her creativity is a constant inspiration and I couldn’t be prouder of her. Not only that but we had so much fun working together that I now consider her a valued member of Team SSL and will be booking her on the regular!
I couldn’t wrap this up without saying a heartfelt thank you to you too for being part of the evolving that’s taken place over the last fifteen years – the new logo may say “Since 2019” but the blogging began in 2008. And I know there are some readers that have been along for the ride throughout all the various guises… which blows my mind when I sit down and reflect on that! Gratitude for your readership and support in a time where we’re actively encouraged to glance, scroll and move on to the next thing in the blink of an eye doesn’t even begin to cover it. I so hope you enjoy this new chapter of Simply Start Living 2.0 and will stick around for as many years as I plan on publishing here.
If you previously signed up to either incarnation of the Style Notes or Slow Coastal Living letter emails, then you’re already good for receiving future content updates and occasional letters. Otherwise, if you’d like to be notified of new posts and receive exclusive content from time to time, you can sign up to Evolve Your Inbox here.
It’s at this point, I’d normally state I’m off in search of something fizzy to celebrate bringing this to fruition but in the process of drafting this post , I realised there’s the small matter of Dry January. So seeing as we don’t play by the rules here, I’ll be cracking open a bottle of the good stuff tonight and raising a glass to this reimagined second act, to you and to always evolving!
Thank you!
Much love, Amanda xx
Photography by: Holly Start
