The Desire for a Slower Pace
I have thought often that I would like to live in some period of the past, a simpler time. TV and Movies do such a great job of romanticizing those periods to make them look lovely.
I know the reality is that life has had it’s challenges at every stage of our world’s history, but I do know that life seems to be busier and more is expected of us then ever before. So it’s time to hop into our DeLorean Time Machine and jump back in time when life was simpler.
I was fortunate to be raised in a great home, with a great family, in a small rural town in Illinois. My dad worked hard at his day job to provide for my mom, me and my six siblings. My mom stayed at home and took care of us kids and all that it takes to keep a household of nine running smooth. We spent important times together at every meal, doing chores and having fun. I remember meal times where me, my Dad, Mom and sister Angie would start giggling about something and could not stop for quite some time. I have great memories of times with my family. Life was about people, life was about working hard, life was full of joy and it all came down to a great gift we gave each other, time.
As I grew older, I bought into the notion of “that was then, this is now”. Life simply is not that way any more. But somehow, I still long for it. Why couldn’t I have that peace and joy now? I started to read about others who were longing for the same thing and starting to emerge victorious. They were describing the life I remembered with a slower pace, with more focus on friends and family and less focus on the stuff that makes us really busy.
My husband and I started to question everything we did and why we did it. We started to cut back in many different areas of our life. We started to challenge the notion that we are supposed to be running around with our heads cut off. Today, we ARE living a slower paced life that is filled with people, work, love, peace, passion, joy and a lot of fun.
I can’t help but think that there are many of you out there that long for the same thing. Here are some of the resources I have come across and things I have learned that I hope will benefit you as well.
Are you willing to take time to plan your life, remove unnecessary things, stop settling for less, and make the changes necessary to live your BEST life?
-Coach Jen