Living a slow life has calmed my nervous system. I don’t panic over every little thing anymore. I don’t feel guilty for resting. I don’t treat every moment like it needs to be productive. Some mornings I just make coffee and sit in silence. Looking at the sky. The birds. Breathing in the morning calm. Some evenings I stare out the window and watch the sky turn orange. Sometimes I read 20 pages. Sometimes I read none. I don’t feel the need to optimize every second of my existence anymore. That constant pressure to “do more,” “be more,” has disappeared. And in its place came what I actually needed: calm. I’ve realized life becomes meaningful the moment you stop rushing through it. Meaning was never hidden. It's was always there in the little things that made you feel peaceful and fully alive.
Someone said “The slow burn of becoming yourself” and I think that might be one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. It’s such a good reminder of how much it takes, how much character development, how much change, and beauty and courage it takes to reach your soul and I hope no one ever gives up on becoming themselves because it’s a never ending journey that only gets better.
My favorite part about getting older is learning to recognize quickly when something isn't for me. I will not spend an extra minute with a person, or in an environment that doesn't bring me peace ✌🏽
A slow life is intentional. A life lived on your own terms. You build it. Slowly. By removing what drains you. Things that don't align with who you are anymore. Habits, work, routines, people. And adding things that nourish you. Music, books, walks, good people, and silence.