The Art of the Slow

On By Tea With JenniferIn Fibromyalgia, Inspirational, Relationships, Spirituality

Well it’s been another crazy roller coaster ride in these Pandemic years. Hasn’t it!

With the strangeness of border closures, health mandated restrictions, lock downs & isolations again & again.

I’m sure all of us want to see the end of this CoVid virus with all its variants!

But it seems it’s not finished with the world yet & just keeps on keeping on!

I thought we would reflect upon the valuable lessons of these years.

But first let’s get comfy with our cuppa’s & delicious treats.

Now we’re ready let’s chat…

Valuable lessons

I think the greatest lesson that I have learnt in these strangest of times is valuing the precious art of the slow.

Let me explain…

When the Pandemic hit our country, Australia, we had to go into lock down as did many countries around the world.

Having never lived through a pandemic before, this was all rather strange & concerning. 

So as the world pushed pause, hubby & I looked at each other & commented that it wouldn’t be much different to our ‘normal life’.

With both of us in early retirement due to chronic health conditions, our life hasn’t been in the fast lane for some time.

But like many around the world we hunkered down together in our little sanctuary we call home.

After awhile though as the tension ebbed from our lives we realised what a blessing this ‘time out‘ was becoming.

We hadn’t realised the huge expectations, stress & tension we had placed upon ourselves until we were forced to stop.

We also realised that we could either resist this or take the opportunity to learn a new art.

silver imac on white table

Learning the Art of Slow

The Art of the Slow is quite different to the The Art of Quietness that I wrote about a little while ago.

Although that too is a valuable lesson.

What is the Art of the Slow? You may be asking.

It’s coming into a place of deliberation in mind & spirit to enjoy the precious moments in each day.

That sadly we often are too busy & hurried to even notice let alone enjoy.

As lock down continued many commented…

As I watched & listened to the comments from various people around the globe.

Many were saying how they were enjoying time out from the hustle & bustle.

Many commented that they didn’t want to go back to the crazy busyness & vowed to make changes in their lives.

But life happens

However, when the first lockdown ended & people started getting back to some semblance of normality.

Many raced straight back into the hustle & bustle of their old lives, promises of change forgotten.

The comments then changed to, they couldn’t cope with the crazy busyness anymore!

Then another hit 

As the Delta variant arrived on our shores a long lock down was imposed upon some states.

At first there was a national groan… “not again!” And repeated when the Omicron variant stormed us.

But then comments of enjoying the Slow life once again started to filter through the media. 

While time in lockdown is not easy, especially for those home schooling children while working from home.

And missing out on important family time & events is extremely painful, as shared in Being Brave in a New World 

None the less, learning the Art of the Slow for many of us has been a rejuvenating & refreshing experience.

What I’ve learnt from this Art 

The greatest gem for me is the new found  wisdom from the Slow.

Especially recognising & reflecting upon how I impose certain high expectations upon myself only causing stress & tension!

I can be my own worse enemy at times!

Can you relate to that my friend?

Also finding greater wisdom in recognising the need to really slow down often & see God in the precious moments of my life, like Jesus did!

For Life is precious with Him.

“[Wisdom] is a tree of life to those who take hold of her.”

Proverbs 3:18

And finally the wisdom to say my best “Yes” on any given day & that may be to practice the Art of the Slow with my Heavenly Father.

What valuable lessons can you take forward from these Pandemic years my friend?

I’d love to hear about them.

Until next time,

Jennifer 

You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook

Or

in Prayer

© 2021 Jennifer M. Ross, teawithjennifer.blog All rights reserved. Photo by alleksana on Pexels.com 

Blog Party link ups

 

Discover more from Tea With Jennifer

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

39 thoughts on “The Art of the Slow”

  2. I totally agree, Jennifer, that we need to learn to slow down and enjoy life more. I discovered a few new nature areas to explore and have gone back multiple times to walk and take photos. My major concern is that God didn’t intend for us to isolate and be alone. I hurt for those in depression during these times. But I learned to love working from home, and now I’m adjusting to part time office work. I guess we just have to trust God and be flexible!

    Reply

  3. I, too, enjoy the art of slow. Only problem with me is that if it gets any slower it will come to a complete stop. 🙂 I get up in the morning thinking I will do this, this and that, only to reach the end of the day and if I’m lucky, I may have one of those things done. But I’m definitely not stressing about it. I have also been pacing myself on the computer. I used to spend hours every day on it, but now it’s only about once a week for a few hours. Two days at the most unless there is something I really need to do. I spend several hours reading the Bible and praying, and that is the most important thing to accomplish on any given day. After that, it’s time to eat. By then I’m tired and need a nap. And after that…who knows? I have been retired for 11 years, so haven’t had the hustle and bustle kind of life for some time, but the slow, as I said, has become slower, and I need to make sure it doesn’t stop. I hope you have a wonderful New Year with many surprise blessings coming your way to “spice up” your art of slow. God bless.

    Reply

  5. This is beautiful, Jennifer. As I read this, I can recognize that even though I already needed a slow routine because of health issues, this past year has caused me to be even more reflective over the grace God still gives us. I definitely identify with imposing high expectations upon myself. Thank you for enlightening me and reminding me to recognize it and reflect more on it. Love and blessings of a 2022 filled with the Art of Slow with our Father!

    Reply

  6. Hi Jennifer,

    I agree with you. There is a beauty and joy to living with slowness and savoring the moments. While there has been much difficulty in the year, this has been a blessing.
    Thanks for linking up!

    Peace and grace,
    Tammy

    Reply

  7. I amazes me that those of us who had already had to adapt to slowing down because of chronic conditions are weathering this pandemic better in some cases than those energizer bunny people. Historically people took their time. It is nice to be reminded of that.

    Reply

  8. This post speaks to my heart in so many ways. Here in the US it has been insanity mostly because CV19 hit during an election year. That aside, for me, working “temporarily” from home became fulltime from home, and I despised it at first. I was too busy and not equipped at home to do my job. Add to that the boys having to be homeschooled and it was craziness. Thank goodness, my husband farms so he was able to help the boys most of the time with the school part. All this to say that I was getting burned out fast because work life was bleeding into my personal life, and I had to put a stop to it. Once I set boundaries, I was able to slow down. And that was so good for my soul. Now I rather enjoy working from home, and embracing a slow rhythm, even when I am working.

    Reply

I love receiving comments, they will appear here on approval...

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.