Now that the holidays are over, I try to shift down. Did you know there’s a whole movement devoted to this endeavor? Slowing down and connecting to each other. There’s Slow Food and Slow Family Living. Suz Lipman is an online friend who writes Slow Family Online and introduced me to the whole idea.
We lived the slow family life without realizing it had a name. Reading Suz’s blog for the first time was an a-ha moment for me. She says, “My family was sometimes the strange one.” I get it!! I imagine people think we are weird. I’m okay with it. Moving at a different pace works for us. We are deliberate about our choices, especially when it comes to the kids. Spending time together is important. We like to watch the sun set and mark that the day has passed.
As a family, we have fun. We laugh A LOT. We find wonder in the every day. We stop to look each other in the eyes and really focus on listening. We get outdoors a lot and are easily amused. We generally have a sunny outlook. We go to the beach to “see what we can see.” Sometimes I lie in the sand to get a new angle and see a different viewpoint.
Give yourself the gift of time. Savor the small victories. Find one good thing in every day. Learn something new about someone you love. Be deliberate. Who knows what you’ll discover!
Are you a slow family? Do you want to be? Check out Suz’s fantastic resource page if you’re interested in learning more.