Life can be so chaotic and overwhelming especially now with the way the world is at the moment. I believe that now is the perfect time to live more on purpose while being more present. When I say this I mean that we need to slow down and enjoy ourselves a bit and that does not mean zoning out on social media or Netflix. It means taking the time to pay attention to the nature that surrounds us, reading a great book, watching a movie with family and/or friends, cooking, eating, experiencing delicious food and taking walks to name just a few of the things that you can do.
You may be wondering what slow living is and how to do it. Slow living as defined by Wikipedia is a lifestyle that emphasizes slower approaches to aspects of your everyday life. It has been defined as movement or action at a relaxed or leisurely pace. Basically it means that you should allow yourself the time to enjoy all the little things and do everything as well as possible without rushing through to be done. It is all about finding joy in the moment. I have to say that I simply love the idea of this I mean really doesn’t this sound wonderful.
Okay let me be straight here…I have OCD so my mind is always going. I also have a hard time slowing down and not feeling bad about it do you know what I mean? I am the type of person that makes lists and works endlessly to try and finish those lists each day. I tend to feel bad if I am not able to do that its almost like I am failing somehow. Honestly I am SICK of it! I hate the way that it consumes me especially this time of year. I love the autumn, watching the leaves turn and feeling the crisp air. I enjoy nothing more than snuggling up with a good book, some knitting or just heading outside with my camera. This need for busyness that I seem to have really sucks the joy out of the fall for me. So it is with that declaration I am going to slow down, be in the moment and enjoy life more. Now with all that being said the other morning I decided to really live this being in the moment thing out so I went outside first thing in the morning with my camera and tea. I had such a wonderful time listening to the birds and even more fun watching them along with the squirrels go about their morning. It dawned on me that I felt so much better. I felt relaxed and my mind was at peace and calm for the first time in a really long time. Maybe there is something to living the slow life and being present in the moment after all. I think that absolutely everyone should give it a try at least once just to see how they feel. I know that based on my experience with it I will be doing it a lot more until it just becomes how I live.
* Below you will see some of the pictures that I took around my yard of the changing colors. These photos were taken on my cell phone and have not been edited in anyway. *
