Where did this Slow Culture idea begin? Gradually, I suppose, as most ideas do…

I was raised by an incredibly resourceful, single mom who grew a huge garden, used cloth napkins, saved and reused everything, and knew how to sew, use tools, refinish hardwood floors, run her own business… you name it. Before my time she had goats and chickens, made her own butter and bread, sewed her own clothes, and poured over Mother Earth News, gleaning homesteading wisdom from its pages. I suppose her work ethic and interest in sustainability, gardening, and slow living seeped into my bones. Of course I didn’t realize it until much later.

Fast forward to graduate school, when I started using my own cloth napkins (because they were cheaper), buying in bulk (ditto), learned how to really recycle or, better yet, reduce my use of single-use items to begin with. I started thinking about organic food (of course I couldn’t afford much then) and how to be healthy in a more holistic way. I started doing yoga, joined a small group, volunteered at my local church, and for the first time in my life felt like I was living a balanced, healthy life.

I became an occupational therapist and absolutely loved working with people with spinal cord injuries in an inpatient rehab hospital. Something about accompanying them through a really difficult season of life, offering hope and tangible ways to make daily life activities doable again was incredibly rewarding. I saw that life really was fragile and everything could change for anyone in the blink of an eye.

Marriage and motherhood added such meaning and joy to my life, but also needs that I hadn’t experienced before. Regular time to connect deeply with friends became essential. Then, as we added 4 children in just under 5 years to our family, my husband and I worked hard to clarify what each of us needed to be healthy – things like quiet time to start our days, exercise, adequate sleep, and real yet constructive conversations with friends. Life was (is!) HARD for us introverts with a house full of little ones to care for, and when COVID-19 hit, my anxiety went through the roof and mental health took on a whole new level of importance.

In early 2021, we moved from Atlanta to Florida to help care for a parent with Alzheimer’s Disease and be closer to family. A few months later, we welcomed our precious fourth child. I desperately needed an outlet for stress relief, peace, creativity and intellectual growth during a trying season of life. I had loved including our kids in gardening in Atlanta, in tiny and doable ways, since they were little. And I was eager to create a small haven in our backyard, knowing we would want to spend lots of time in nature, retreating periodically from the chaos and noise of small children. So I dug up a big patch of grass, planted zinnia seeds, and recruited little helpers to join me in noticing what was growing, cutting and arranging flowers, and giving them away.

That was 3 years ago, and since then my interest in growing flowers has flourished. More than that, my appreciation for the value of slowing down and being present has deepened. And to bring it full circle, you know what I’ve found has tremendous power to help me slow down? Intentional living, and specifically homesteading or do-it-yourself-type skills. As someone who struggles with anxiety and ADHD, and has children who do too, what a gift “slow”, intentional living is. What value I’ve gotten from learning how to rest in a way that truly restores each part of me (physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual, sensory, and creative) and investing in relationships. And as an occupational therapist, how cool to learn that the roots of my profession are in the belief that “occupations” – meaningful activities – have healing power.

I can’t wait to connect with you and explore how slow culture, and the meaningful things you choose to do with your one precious life, can be a gift to you too.