The time it takes to make a good thing
[Series] On Slow Living #1
November 3, 2024
What does slow living actually mean? Is it reserved for the quiet and contemplative? Is it about making every move and thought deliberate? Does it encompass an ability to be alert, focused, and driven while also being able to remain calm and non-reactive? Is adaptability required? What about mind-wandering and deep prolonged rest? Does it only unfold amidst the bucolic or may it express in the urban bustle?
I think these identifiers have the potential to limit the meaning of living slow. It can be all or none of the above. I find the embodiment of slow living as unique as the individual who expresses it. We each have a lens through which we experience life. Kind of like a camera, a device that is able to zoom in and focus, obsess even, while in the next moment and with the slightest adjustments can zoom out and observe. What we see, what we experience and ultimately feel is quite personal.
The subject of slow living is something I’m very curious about and enjoy exploring. Particularly in my own life as well as those close to me. Over the next several weeks, in a series of interviews, I will be sharing the words of folks who I know, love, and am continually inspired by. Some I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in person, enjoying their company and all the heartfelt conversations had over food, wine, or walks. Others I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with online building a relationship through projects, work, or shared interests.
Each person responded to three questions. In the process of asking others and re-asking myself, I discovered that this notion of slow living and how it expressed itself in the day to day, more often than not, was far from literal. It’s not always a chill candlelit night with soup and stories or a three day work week. Rather the essence, if distilled down, was about choice, perspective, restoration, and mindfulness. It’s not so much what I do, it’s how I’m doing it.
I found it a privilege, honor, even a duty, to listen and understand what moves and gives life meaning – a beautiful occurrence when one inhabits such a diverse world. I hope it will be well-timed reading as we are in the belly of autumn and heading into winter. Seasons which have a palpable sense of sedation and an outward expression of slowing down. The nights are long, the days are cold, the landscape which was once verdant and prolific is now muted and dormant. No matter where in the world you may live there is a repeatable pattern that exists like this in nature. Movements that are steady, measured, and deliberate juxtaposed with forces that are rapid, focused, and quick. You may find yourself yearning for a deeper kind of slumber through stillness or solitude. Or bring light and levity by encircling yourself in the company of others. Contrary to this very expression of nature, what seems both troubling and ironic is that during these same months there is often a socially induced frenzy due to holidays, stress, school, and consumption.
I understand that the concept of slow living may be slightly mysterious to pinpoint. It’s amorphous as it is personal. One thing is certain and that it isn’t only about syncing up with nature. Though I know for me it helps. It’s a good anchor. An obvious reminder. If I could summarize the ethos or heart of slow living in a few words it would be, intentional mindfulness – mindfulness of the speed at which I react and the reverence I extend unto the earth.
Slowness is also a term that has expanded beyond just ‘slow food’. What was initially a reaction against fast-food chains has cast a wider net. Now it’s the conversation many are having against a lifestyle so face-paced that the tendency is to plunge one either into burnout, busyness, or disassociation. And likely perpetuating a disconnect from family, food, or artisanal handicraft. It is worth considering why old sayings ring true, sometimes good things take time.
Today’s acts of slow living: mend, read, roast chicken.
Did you know it can take up to 5 years for the queen conch to fully form its spectacular spiral shell?
More to come. Stay tuned!
Yours, Erin