Living a Slower Life
Just how do we do it?
Happy Monday, my friends! I’ve decided to post every Monday from now on, so here is this week’s post! I may have some extra posts here and there during the weeks, but I wanted to post at least once a week! I hope you’ll enjoy this week’s post!
As those of you who follow my Notes know, I recently finished working the job that I've had for the past two years. If I'm being honest, I've actually worked that job for closer to three and a half years. To explain, I worked as a records manager at a small college from which I graduated. I first started working in the position in the summer of 2022, then returned to my regular job as a secretary during the fall, only to transition to the job again at the end of the year and continue in it until I graduated in May of 2023.
Since the start of the job, my life has always been absolutely full, since I was also involved in teaching a Sunday School class at church and helped out with many different ministry opportunities. Balancing bachelor's classwork with my job and then eventually master's classwork led to busy evenings after work. Just earlier this year, I felt like a veritable octopus, one arm stretched to work, the other stretched to my TESL internship, another stretched to my Japanese class, and the last to my friends and family. I felt stretched to a new degree, to be sure, and some things had to be put to the side. Substack, as you all know, was one of them.
But surely, those things began to come to a close. I cleaned out my office two weeks ago with the help of a friend; I got a good review from my internship mentor and finished the class with an A; I received a "よくできました！(Pronounced yokudekimashita, meaning "You did very well!") on my oral exam; my friends and family cheered for me as we ate meals together and spent precious time.
I assure you, my friend, that season you're in? It will come to a close. Take it from me, it will come to an end. It may feel like it will be with you for the rest of time, but even the coldest winter will end and make way for a spring filled with renewal.
So what am I doing now that all of those things have come to an end? Good question! It requires a little bit of explanation.
Because I'm a Christian, I seek to live my life in acknowledgement of the fact that the Lord wants to guide me in my life and the choices I make. As I was considering the end of my contract, the end of my master's, and the time for moving, I prayed and asked the Lord for guidance. I've found that He hardly opens with many open doors, but rather, just one, and it's always opened at just the right time.
He answered first when I had just enough finances to finish my master's. It was almost like he was telling me, "Take some time. Don't worry about your classes. I will provide the rest." So I decided to take both classes at once at the term closest to when I was done with work. I’m doing odd jobs here and there to provide the money that I need.
He then answered through my new boss at the place where I will start working later in the summer. She told me, "Rebekah, please do not move as you're finishing your master's." That gave me an even better window of when to move.
And the Lord continues to guide me. I'm grateful for His leadership. Without it, I would feel aimless. How could a young single woman make decisions for her own life when she was only just learning how to be an adult? But my all-knowing, omniscient God, knows how to guide me.
He's led me to this slower life. It's felt a little odd at the beginning, I won't lie. For 16 weeks, I was bouncing around, rearranging my schedule, staying up late to meet deadlines, and getting things set up. Now, my specific Sunday School time doesn't meet, so all of the girls go to a different teacher for their lesson. Now, I don't have an 8 - 5 job that I work. Now, I don't have students to wake up early in the morning for and lesson plans to have to teach. Now, my friends are in different places, back home or doing internships for the summer.
Now, it's quiet.
And it's beautiful.
I used to hate downtime when I was busy. When I would sit and play video games, or crochet, or sometimes even read, there would be something in my mind that would say, "You have so much to do, Rebekah. What are you doing, having 'fun' with this?" Guilt would wash over me so entirely that I could feel it in my head, my lungs, every part of my body. How dare I rest when there was something to be done? What made it worse was when there wasn't anything that needed to be done...
I don't have times like those anymore. I'll admit, it was odd. I would look at my schedule and go, "Well, I cleaned the kitchen, and did the laundry, and the floors need to be cleaned, but it's only 11:30, so I know I have time. What do I do now...?" By the end of the week, I found myself appreciating the quiet, slipping a little too comfortably as I napped a little too often.
I came up with a different plan—a habit tracker! It has little check boxes and everything that fills me with a sense of obligation. I knew that someone would make a nice template and found this lovely one. The prompts that I put are fun, though: write this week's Substack post for 30 minutes; journal in my daily journal; learn Japanese for 30 minutes.
I've found that if I'm able to do something for 30 minutes, odds are, I'll be in the groove and want to work a little more. It happened last week, when I sat down for language learning and ended up completing a 30-minute lesson and a 15-minute assessment. The satisfaction that I'm remembering what I've learned is so acute. Go learn a language. Chomsky was so right when he said that it "enriches our internal capacities."
This slower time is dear to me. It's still filled with responsibilities. A daily planner sits with my reading assignments and analyses to complete for these last two classes. But there's also joy as I'm spending specific time with the Lord in the mornings. Making time to sit and write the thoughts in my head, whether they're about my life or a story that will not leave me alone. All of these things enrich me in ways much more valuable than job experience and money could ever do.
Yes, those things are important. We need to provide for ourselves, yes, but if we're not maintaining who we are as individuals, we're essentially a shell, a husk, just drifting through the 8 - 5. I want more for myself, and I think you should too.
So before wrapping things up on this week’s post, here are five things that I've done that have enriched my time and have helped me live this slower life. Maybe they’ll help you, or inspire you!
Get up at an earlier time, but take the morning slow. Don't change out of your pajamas right when you get out of bed. Brush your teeth, wash your face, and journal, or have some quiet time with the Lord. Just take it easy.
Make yourself a special cup of coffee or tea. Use that special creamer, or spend a little extra time making a latte. Put it in that cup that feels special. These slower times are for those special things that you usually don't use.
Find a novel or short story that you've been wanting to read, and look up an ambiance video on YouTube that matches the theme. Find a comfy chair and just take the time to enjoy what you've found.
If you want to spend time with someone, invite them over to make dinner together, or maybe bake something together. Put on a movie in the background and just take the time getting to know them.
Try to make some memories for yourself that don't include your phone or social media. We'll have that for the rest of our lives. How about living life a little unplugged?
Some ideas for memories for yourself can include buying yourself a little plant, like a tomato plant, or some flowers to take care of. Have you always wanted to write something? Start now! Make a moodboard, create a playlist, or start to plan out your novel. Or maybe you just want to write spur of the moment! Go for it and create a judgment-free zone for you to write unapologetically. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be written.
There are no hard and fast rules to live by when it comes to living a slower life. We all love different things, but this is just a little list to get you started. We need these slower times to be able to reflect, to look at the things that we have in gratitude. Instead of rushing about from one appointment to the next, may we look forward to the special events in our lives that make living truly special.
I hope that you enjoyed reading this and that something I wrote inspired you. If it did, I would love it if you could let me know and share this with others. I want to inspire as many people as I possibly can! Thanks for reading, and I’ll catch you next time!
It would be nice to slow things down, but between work and my girls I don't get much free time. Even on vacation usually busy doing things instead of relaxing. When I try to relax, I get yelled at for not helping.