I Live Slowly *AND* I Desire A BIG Life
My thoughts on labels, ditching the 'idol' mentality, and making your own rules.
Hi there! I’m Hunter. I’m a mother of a two-year-old daughter, married to my British husband, and we live in Northwest Florida along the beautiful white, sandy beaches. I share about sacred & slow living as well as my own personal journey in being a mother and a creative. Make sure to subscribe to have my posts delivered directly to your inbox. I’m so glad you’re here.
It’s me, your friendly slow living label crusher.
I’ve discovered that one of the things I love most about this space is being able to dispel these myths or ideas that people have about what slow living is and how it *must* be lived. I’ve never been one to subscribe to a label entirely or fit into a box, and I have continued to feel that way while implementing aspects of slow living into my life.
Something I have come to learn about myself is that I want a lot out of life, and I love slow living. And those two things are okay. They’re great, even. We are multi-faceted humans who all have our own unique designs, passions, history, and dreams. There are some people who love slow living by literally living slowly, out in the countryside with their dogs and babies, and completely disconnected from the fast pace of the world. Then, I also believe there are those who are *in the flow* of life even if it’s very full and quote-unquote “busy,” but are able to do it with such intentionality and implement slow living in a mindful way. Both work wonderfully, and maybe you (like me) find yourself somewhere in the middle.
I found my way to slow living through the sustainability movement and a big part of why I stopped speaking on sustainability was because it felt so close-minded and exclusive. Of course, that was my own experience and there are so many incredible sustainability advocates out in the world. But from my view, I felt like I had to live in this very polarized way and make specific choices to be sustainable, and it felt like I had to be perfect at it. I just found myself feeling so boxed in and overwhelmed by every single choice I was making. When I discovered slow living, it was so much more expansive for me and didn’t feel like there were specific guidelines within this label to be accepted. So I could still implement aspects of sustainability that worked for me, but it didn’t have to run my entire life.
I have taken what I notice works for other people and applied it myself. Some of it works and some of it doesn’t. I think those who are new to slow living think it’s about homesteading and living rurally, or homeschooling your six children you home-birthed, or only eating locally grown food and foraging for everything. Basically saying goodbye to all things modern society and living off the grid.
While this is amazing for some and definitely can be something to strive for, I also believe that the reality is you can live slowly in a high-rise in Los Angeles and be perfectly happy. You can manifest your wildest dreams from your 9-5 and make really good money doing it. You can be in your life, as it is now, and be completely present and aware. Slow living is a MINDSET. A tool to help you get aligned with your deepest desires in an authentic way. That’s why I created Sacred & Slow.
I’m going to come out and say something that might be counterintuitive for the slow living world, but… it’s that I love slow living, AND I want to live a big life. I spend my free time listening to manifestation podcasts, I dream of running a million-dollar business, I love to travel and see the world, I enjoy luxury experiences, I want to live in a big house with plenty of space (and a fabulous kitchen) near a city, I want to be seen in this world.
Slow living, to me, is freedom. It’s having the space to wake up mindfully and to move throughout my day with intentionality in everything I do. It’s having the time to take a long bath or go do a fun activity with my daughter in the middle of the day *just because I want to*. I still have such a far way to go, but slowly, this is where I’m heading.
I think that we see people online living a specific way and we are attracted to aspects of it because we want that too, but what we forget is that we are individuals, and we get to pick and choose what works for us and what doesn’t. How many times have you followed someone online and loved everything they post, wanted to be like them, started to dress like them or eat the kinds of things they eat, think similarly to how they share, and then one day they do, say, or post something that you don’t agree with, and you suddenly feel like you’ve been duped or taken advantage of? I’ve definitely fallen prey to this mindset in the past. It’s almost like you make someone your idol instead of understanding that all they are is an expander. You aren’t meant to be a carbon copy version of them, you’re meant to be the most authentic version of you.
Being authentically you means finding inspiration and knowing that if they can have it, you can too. But, the way they have it and their own experiences aren’t meant specifically for you. Now, when I see someone who is an expander to me, I save the posts that inspire me, but I don’t take every single thing they say or do to heart. I take what works and leave what doesn’t. The same can be said about slow living.
It’s like we’re not allowed to want both of these things at the same time. To want to take up space in the world and transform our own world through a slower way of life. We either want less or want more. But the world isn’t black and white. You’re allowed to live in the gray, encouraged even.
All of this to say, we make up our own rules. If you start implementing things you’ve seen work for someone else and then realize you feel nothing more than boxed in and unhappy, then change the rules. Labels, ways of living, concepts, and mindsets are only tools to help us connect with each other and ultimately lean into who we truly are.
So yeah, I want more from life AND I’m grateful for where I am now. I have freedom in certain aspects of my life AND I crave more. I enjoy slow mornings sipping tea AND busy afternoons out and about. Life is not about if and but, it’s about yes and. You’re allowed to create your own unique journey. When we step into that autonomy and realize that we don’t just follow the rules, we make the rules, then we can move into that sacred space called our life.
For me, it’s slow living with a touch of magic. What is it for you?
Love this so much – these words encapsulate *so* much about how I've been feeling in regards to slow living, too. There is such nuance in everything, especially when it comes to approaching our aspirations and goals in a more mindful and centered way. I've often felt deep guilt for wanting to live slowly and wanting to feel expansive and seen, so it's nice to not be so alone in that <3
Yes and yes! This exactly describes the push and pull, step up and retreat, do and don't that I constantly feel. I want an open life at my own pace and also want to experience comfort. I want to work and I want to play. I don't want to niche myself down into a label that doesn't fit all the aspects of me. Your naming of "expander" is a great way to filter what we see online. I definitely fall into the trap of "I should be doing this and that" to be who I say want to be, and yet, I don't want to. At all. Thank you so much for writing this! You've given me a lot to think about.