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Writer's picturealyssakessinger

Lost Art of Slow Living

Updated: Sep 16, 2023

When was the last time you took a moment, a quiet and present moment? For me the answer is almost never. I was listening to a lecture that made me stop and think. The thing that struck a cord with me was remembering the feeling of early summer, lying on the floor with the windows open in the middle of the bedroom. Its been eons since I've done anything remotely similar to that.

Doesn't it just break your heart?

There are so many things I did as a child that I simply took for granted as an adult. Discovery and learning is something that had fallen to the wayside. It seems like a waste of time to lay on the floor and do nothing but it stirs a sense of magic in me thinking back on it.

Daily screens consume our lives. I work from home, but even outside of work I've found I need a tv show on "in the background" to settle myself. This is a problem. I cannot be alone with myself in silence, instinct has taught me to fill up that silence with nonsensical noise.

Today was the first day I sat with no other stimulation than face to face conversation over my lunch break. I sat for the full hour with my husband and we simply enjoyed each other's company. It was odd at first but wonderful within minutes. I was ale to hone in and focus on the conversation and the person before me.

I think humanity as a whole has lost their ability to be bored since the introduction of the internet. I was one of the last few born before the tech boom. I grew up without internet in the house and had learned to cope without it. My mother even locked the cable TV in the summer, and living in the country left only two options: read or go outside. (I usually opted for the former).

Even as I sit here now I have Bob's Burgers playing on the TV. I suppose transitioning to a more present state of being will take time and dedication. (This isnt the first time I've wanted to yeet my tv out the window).

Slow living comes naturally to children. My eldest son took his baby brother to his room and proceeded to read to him. This was all with the TV as an option, but he chose to share his books with his brother.

In the age of tiktok, find moments of calm, moments of boredom, moments to share. In between social media and the entertainment industries lies enough boredom to bring you back into your creativity.

It is one of my goals this year to find that space again. To abandoned the screens (or at least lessen screen time) will lead me back to where I should be.


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