What is slow living anyway?

Spoiler alert… I do not have the answer to this question, I wish I did, but I really enjoy exploring the nuances of it, what it means for me right now, and of course asking the tarot for its insights!

I have been drawn to pursuing a slower, simpler, more intentional way of living for many years. I’ve journaled endlessly about it. When asked what I want to ‘manifest’ in my life, it is always this.

Ease.

Living mindfully, soulfully, thoughtfully, consciously, at a pace that works for me and my family.

I follow a heap of Instagram accounts (and more recently, Substack reads like The Magically Mundane and Well-Rooted Motherhood) who praise the slow life and the simple things, mostly in the realms of motherhood (which, on the surface seems paradoxical, slow living with a toddler!? but I’m committed to finding a way!)

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So why then, do I still feel like I keep missing the mark?

Take Monday for example. A dear friend of mine, Venus, (read her gorgeous Substack here) had organised a walk and talk for us mamas, to chat and share some cacao, whilst gifting our little ones some fresh air. I had to be home by a certain time and, as the walk progressed, time ticked on and we ventured further from the car park, I felt anxiety rising in my body. I lost all sense of presence and enjoyment. I spent the time worrying about getting back, rather than playing chase and collecting stones with my daughter. I stopped taking in the stunning surroundings and essentially power walked the mud-caked pushchair, with a danger napping toddler, back to the car to then rush home. Not fun. Or slow.

Now I ask myself, why did this happen? What was meant to be a lovely, slow, simple, nourishing afternoon turned out to be the exact opposite.

I believe the answer lies in

s p a c i o u s n e s s

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Yesterday afternoon, after picking up my daughter from her busy morning at nursery, we sat at the dining table and painted. For over an hour. I soothed my creative itch (more on that another time) and spent precious quality time with my girl. It felt slow, intentional and even sacred. All because we had nowhere to be and nothing to do. I could feel the space in my mind open up, relaxing into the slowness, yet ironically, the time flew by.

So although I don’t have the answer to the aforementioned question, I do believe a huge aspect of living this kind of life, is held in having the space to actually slow down and enjoy it. Sounds so simple yet is so impossibly difficult.

Where is this space created? In the meal planning on a Sunday, not cramming things in to every minute of the day, not overbooking/overstretching/overpromising myself, having a list of simple activities to do together, saying no more often, listening to myself/my body/my mind to see what I do or don’t need, hiding the mess under a blanket or shoving in a box to sort later, taking a deep breath, trying my best to not overstimulate myself with a pinging phone and chucking it in a drawer (those messages can wait).

Of course, some days are required to be busier than others, and that’s ok too. But now I know that I can feel this way, on a random Thursday afternoon with no plans, I have a deep desire to infuse this feeling into more of our days. So rather than piling on the pressure to fill up the calendar every.single.day to keep a busy toddler entertained, I’m going to try to embrace some blank s p a c e and leave some room to go with the flow.

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The tarot card that I pulled to support me on this journey was the Daughter of Cups; a beautifully innocent card which is gently encouraging me to prioritise play and a child-like (aka simple/uncomplicated) mindset. (Note: this is a BIG reoccurring theme for me.) Right now, my daughter has no concept of time or what’s to come. Although she’s a total whirlwind and her default speed is dialled up to maximum most of the time, she lives in the present moment. And there is such profound magic in that.

As perfectly described on Carrie Mallons site… “The Daughter of Cups has a simple approach to life, but there can be great power in simplicity.”

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I can feel myself trying to conclude this post neatly in a little bow… but the truth is, I can’t do that. Honestly, I don’t even know what I’m trying to say here or if it makes any sense. I’m still exploring it, and I guess that’s the fun bit right? If any of this resonates, I would LOVE to know your thoughts and insights on this topic too.

What does slow living mean to you?