Living a slow paced lifestyle is a process of feeling connected to everyday-living. When incorporating seasons as part of slow living, it's an intentional way to embrace change in nature without fighting it. The transformations that come through seasons teach us to adapt and enjoy the gifts they have to offer. When seasons change, we tend to feel urgency in doing all of our check-marked tasks. But the simple act of living and enjoying can be lost in that wake.
Seasonal slow living can look different for everyone. For me, it's making fresh sourdough bread in the morning, it's hanging my sheets on a clothesline to dry in summer, it's cooking meals over a campfire, or planting a garden in Spring with tomatoes so that I can harvest them in Autumn to make fresh tomato sauce to eat over Winter. None of this is easy or simple, but I delight in taking part of my living routines.
Slow doesn't mean simple, it's a deconstructed way to feel connected to everyday tasks in a tangible way, often encouraging disconnecting from technology.
The long and connected way to nature, teaches patience and awareness of daily necessities or in-between moments. Rather than looking forward to the weekend 5 days away, I look forward to trying a new recipe today. This isn't a means of slowing down what I'm capable of producing, rather a way to amplify what I can create with my own skills.
This is a practice for me, to notice and find interest in my daily life while embracing seasons. Not everyday is entirely made up of seasonal slow living, but it's sprinkled in as much as I can. Starting the routine of making a daily cup of tea: using loose-leaf tea to scoop into compostable tea filters and then putting the steeped tea bag in my backyard compost, is just one way to connecting to that sweet spot. Even the act of waiting 4 minutes for the tea leaves to bloom and fill the hot water with beautiful flavour, is the perfect dose of slow living. Walking to my compost bin in my backyard and filling it with today's givings, can be the encouragement I need to live slowly. Knowing that with every item placed in it, I will reap the benefits in Spring for my happy vegetable gardens.
Find out what works for you, and what would make you feel connected to the natural rhythm of your daily life. What can encourage you to slow down while being productive? What actions can you enjoy, that you already speed through? In the meantime, go outside, breathe in that fresh air, and enjoy the season - no matter the weather.
