Harrison is napping, sleeping off a Christmas cold with Vicks rubbed on his chest.
I want to take a nap. But I don’t want to take a nap because there’s a whole world I might miss. I felt like that even as a little girl.
A to-do list ticks through my head. Clean. Organize. Laundry. Cook. Fold. The toys littering the living room floor, the boxes that need to be recycled, the bookcase that overflows.
I can’t seem to stop it. There’s a movement towards slower living & I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to join it. I’m not sure I even understand what it means other than a trend & something kitschy to say on a blog. But it makes me feel like I don’t quite belong right now. There’s too much noise in my head. It feels like there’s so little I control outside of the laundry basket or how often I vacuum. Does anyone know what I mean?
My friend Shannon says she does, as we sit in my living room & drink pink champagne.
I took moments today to snap point-&-shoot pictures of the things in my home that make me happy today, that feel beautiful & remind me that the life I’m living is just fine.
They’re nothing fancy or perfect. Like the yoga pants I’m wearing & the two-day ponytail.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I get it. We supposedly had a ton of time off for work for the holidays & we’re….so tired thanks to being sick. We were supposed to get so much done and feel ready for the holidays and instead we’re crabby & still sick. House a wreck. I want a ginormous pause button. I dread returning to “reality” after New Year’s because things are going to be insane and move at warp speed.
I dunno…maybe I’m doing life wrong. Slow living…sounds lovely but unrealistic.
I LOVE how you displayed your cards!
I concur! And can I just say that I love your house and want to live there. GREAT lighting!
I wish I had something eloquent to say, but all I can say in response is a nod and a “Yep. I hear ya.”
Yes. So much noise, so much to do, so little I feel is actually getting done.
Yep, I understand! My husband is right in the middle of coaching his first season of high school basketball, and self employed, so he’s fitting his normal 12-14 hours of work in as well. The end of the month is always crazy, but I have found myself wishing them away hoping for a little calm. I hate that. Makes me feel like I’m wishing away my kids childhood years. Stinks. Praying for a little calm for both of our families.
I always think that “slow living” just means to live in a way that works for you and your family. Maybe you are the type that can handle a gazillion obligations and your job and the cleaning and the playing with the child and the time with the husband. And it works for you all and you are happy and content with that life. And that is your slow life.
And maybe for the person sitting next to you at work that life would stress her out. Depress her. Make her angry. Maybe her slow living is no activities on weeknights and going to bed early and limiting how many activities her children are in and making sure to schedule time with her husband so their relationship does not get lost in the shuffle. And that is her slow life.
Too often a phrase becomes a trend and then there are millions of people (probably mostly women) who are wondering what they are doing wrong and stressing out trying to figure out the definition of the trend and the weight of making the trend work for them. Because that is what they feel they must do. And that is so wrong. Always do what works in your life. What makes you and your family the most happy and content. Not what the world says should make you happy and content.
I love the way you have your Christmas cards! So cute
My therapist and I were just talking about how I use staying busy and keep moving to keep my anxiety at bay. If I actually slow down it creeps up and I feel like crap. Working on that. BTW love how you post your xmas cards.
That makes total sense. I think I am the same way.
Slowing down is overrated!! I like to keep things moving – especially in the winter when it’s easier for me to slip into my depression. If I’m busy, I’m happy! Nothing wrong with that.
Yes, YES I know what you mean!! And I love pink champagne.