“The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes, and surely it is in the everyday things around us that the beauty of life lies.”
Slow living is a way of life in which the tasks of the day are taken at a slowed down pace. This doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to do, it just means I take time to appreciate my chores, move mindfully, stop for a cup of tea and make it a priority to not rush.
Today I’m bringing you with me on a slow living day.
Grocery shopping was done first thing in the morning (to get it out of the way). On my way home, I always walk by an empty building lot and have been seeing a yard full of lavender growing for weeks. Today it was finally blooming with punchy purple flowers so I stopped and picked some, came home and placed them in a mason jar to decorate the coffee table. Simple and beautiful.
Once home, I organized the groceries putting away what needs to go into the pantry, separating trays of chicken into smaller batches to freeze. I place herbs like cilantro, parsley and veggies like Asparagus in jars with water. They are living plants after all and last weeks longer in the fridge when placed in water.
Thursdays are the first day of my weekend and I like getting the home in order so that the rest of the weekend is spent in quality time. We’re expecting our first heatwave on the coast tomorrow and I’ve planned a Charcuterie and Homemade Pizza night on the patio for sunset. Prosecco, good food and quality time with my husband. (for a date night Charcuterie HERE)
Early afternoon was spent doing laundry with the homemade detergent I made last Fall (for that recipe HERE). I make a 5 gallon bucket of laundry detergent and it lasts me over a year and only costs about $2- $4 to make.
Once laundry was put away, I made some of my favourite Energy Bites (for the recipe HERE). I have a terrible sweet tooth and find that these are the perfect way to ease my cravings. I took a small break and enjoyed one with my tea.
By 3:30pm the house was tidy, bathrooms wiped down, living room organized, kitchen clean. I pulled out a Lentil Dahl (my recipe HERE) I made last week from the freezer so no cooking tonight, just heat and serve, the essence of slow living. Cooking in batches is a great way to save time and money and any time I’m able to, I cook a little extra and freeze half of it; if I’m out all day or like today, moving slowly, there’s always a healthy meal waiting.
I spent a little while tending to the garden before dinner. I have a total of 3 carrots growing, the other’s haven’t sprouted and I hope they will. We enjoyed fresh radishes and kale straight from the garden twice last week in our salad.
When daily chores are done in a loving slow fashion, I feel like it’s not work at all and I look forward to it. I feel that taking pride in keeping a clean home and cooking healthy meals is a way to show gratitude for everything we have and I am so grateful.
Take some time to practice slow living, especially in this day and age of constant rush and competition. It’s about the journey, right?
Thank you for joining me today. If you haven’t done so already, don’t forget to subscribe to my blog and join me over on Instagram @ BellWitchManor
If you feel so inclined to buy me a hot chocolate so that I can continue to create content like this, you can do so here.
Take a deep breath.
Love,
Jennifer