An Abundantly Slow Life
“Slow living”, “minimalism”, “abundance mindset” - all buzz words we’ve seen posted around YouTube, TikTok, and lifestyle blogs frequently since 2020. If you’re not already familiar with the topic of slow living, I suggest you read some of these blogs if you’re interested in digging into the topic more in depth:
Like many lifestyles, at its core, slow living boils down to each individual’s choices and their own definition of what it means to them. I’ve read a lot about slow living over the past year, and over time, more facets of the ideology have been resonating with me. For myself and the sake of this post, slow living means choosing to choose to enjoy the process of living. That sounds like a bit of a mouthful, but I believe each word is very important.
Time is finite for each individual. Every life on earth has an unknown, finite amount of time attached to it. This knowledge has pushed us as a race to find more ways every year to grind as much out of that time as we can. How fast can get through school? How quickly can we achieve that promotion? Which restaurant can deliver our food the fastest? Some times, I think this can be good. I think most of the time, the intention is good, but the constant rush can be misused. I’ve found myself often in the thought process, “If I can eat dinner quickly, then that would leave me more time in the evening to go for a run or spend better quality time with partner.. maybe a game night.” Then, I go pick up some pizza, we shove it in our faces while watching TV, and we part ways for the evening to do whatever. I’ll usually end up scrolling on Instagram for too long to even do anything beneficial.
Some people live lives that require constant optimization. They need to save time at every turn to use it later on more important tasks. This blog post isn’t about them. It’s about me. And maybe it will hit home with others who read this.
The abundance mindset comes hand in hand with the scarcity mindset. To put it simply, scarcity mindset refers to the idea that there’s never enough. There’s not enough time to accomplish your goals. There’s not enough money to fulfill your needs. There’s not enough… of anything. The abundance mindset requires the opposite. It’s accepting that there is enough. Even if you don’t think you see enough in front of you, enough exists. Many articles on the internet will praise the abundance mindset for its ability to push one to think outside of the box to go find what otherwise would be a limiting factor. It encourages the “I don’t find problems; I find solutions” mindset that I love so much. What many don’t touch on it, is the importance of accepting that what you have may already be enough in an abundance mindset. It’s not always about searching for new resources, time, or people; it can just as much be about learning to realize what you already have and learning to use it.
For me, both sides of the abundance mindset and slow living go hand in hand. When More is needed, the process of attaining it should be enjoyed. When Enough is present, the process of using it should be cherished. In 2020, I started ordering groceries through delivery services frequently. Last year, I started doing so even more - not because I couldn’t go to the grocery store but simply out of convenience. Every time I would think about the grocery store, it was an errand filled with long lines, chaotic people (who uses the left side of the aisle with the buggy?), and loud noises. One afternoon, I had to go pick up some prescriptions and decided to do the grocery shopping while there. The store was almost empty. I don’t know if I was in there for two hours or six, but I must have walked down every aisle, looked at every type of fruit (they sell jackfruit now?), and picked out three new types of snacks. I even had a conversation with the cashier. After that encounter, I started going to the grocery store every week. It became an outing instead of a chore. I didn’t want my partner to go with me because I was worried he might make me feel rushed. When he did come, there ended up being a huge line, and instead of it being an annoyance, we spent the whole time talking about other parts of our lives. By choosing to find ways to appreciate the process of grocery shopping, a mundane errand became an enriching life experience.
I want to have an abundant, slow life. I don’t want to pull up directions in the elevator while walking to my car. I want to say hello to the neighbor who just moved in on the way down. I don’t want to quickly order new nail polish that’s Same Day Delivery. I want to remember why I chose the one I have on and revel in how beautiful it made me feel. I don’t want to order for pickup from the parking lot to get a few extra stars. I want to go inside and order and meet the owners of the local coffee shop who’ll remember my name every day I come in. To live slowly, I want to see my world through a filter of abundance. I want to know that what I have, I chose for a reason, and anything I lack, is an opportunity to experience life.
Slowing down my life won’t come easily, and it will probably evolve over time to what suits my needs. However, I believe my life will become more full from it. This morning I made a list of small things that made me happy. Opening the blinds, clean sets of sheets, emptying a full vacuum bin - they make me feel good inside. How many times have I rushed through them as chores? If we only focus on the end goal, we will fail to enjoy the process along the way. How sad would it be to have spent the majority of my finite amount of time rushing?
