The Art of Slow Living

Well, we are officially in the depths of fall. The days are shorter and the nights are getting colder. We’ve had a few hard frosts this month, and I just finished putting all my gardens to bed for the winter. It’s such a bittersweet moment to say goodbye to all the beautiful colors, creatures, and days spent in the gardens. But now it’s time to turn inward fully, and I am definitely ready for some rest.

Life can sometimes feel like a blur from April to mid-October with that never-ending list of tasks, even though I love every minute of it. Now that things are beginning to slow down, I have to mentally readjust my pace. In doing so, I begin to reflect on the art of slow living.

I consider slow living as an art form because it is something that requires daily practice, intentionality on how you choose to spend your time, and having that vision for what you are trying to create.

It’s easy to become distracted with the pressures of life, and it takes great effort to create a space that shuts out all of the craziness. For us, this often looks like taking time off social media, or stepping away from our phones, not watching a lot of television, and not filling our schedule to max capacity. We are intentionally creating that space to just be quite, to think, and to observe.

What if all I desire is a quiet, gentle life for me and my loved ones? Does that sound so bad?

There’s this idea many people have, that if you have time you should, and if you don’t, you’re not living to your fullest potential. I happen to disagree with this viewpoint. I believe that a life full of slow living can be very significant and meaningful.

Slow Living. What does that mean? It’s taking the time to enjoy the small details of life that many tend to pass by without a second thought. It’s finding the beauty and meaning in simplicity. It’s often times seeing the value in things that most would say don’t matter. It’s being mindful of what you are putting your hand to. It’s being present in the moment. It’s learning to be content with less. It’s being willing to quite all the outside noise of the world.

In my experience, learning to live slow has been so powerful. It has given me the time to quite my mind, and really think about who I am and what my purpose is. I have learned many new things about myself, and have found many different things that I enjoy. It has given me the time and space to learn new skills, as well as to grow in them. I have surprised myself with my capability. There are countless things I have been able to accomplish that I didn’t think I could. It’s simply a result of giving myself the mental space and the time to focus.

Now doesn’t that seem like living to your fullest potential? I think there’s a great amount of value to find in such a life.

In a world that is constantly full of extremes and exhaustion, all I crave is the exact opposite. Slow, small, and simple.

“It’s no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.” - J.R.R. Tolkien