08/07/2023
How strange it is that we have to fight for a slower paced life. I’m just returning from a week at my favorite place in the world (Village Creek Bible Camp in Iowa) and reflecting on the many blessings that always flow from that place. Two sermons every day. Spending hours outdoors. Countless moments with family and friends. The joy of new friendships. It’s all so good.
I hate that the world around us moves at such a quick pace. And don’t try and tell me that it just “has to be that way” because it doesn’t. We can have responsibilities. We can work our jobs. We can care for our homes. We can take care of our babies. We can cook. We can pursue hobbies. We can live slowly in the middle of it all. It might mean not saying yes to some cool opportunities. It might mean choosing to have a morning that isn’t necessarily “productive” by most standards. Most of the instagram or Pinterest moments that we envy are the slow ones. The sitting and drinking coffee while reading a book. Laying on a picnic blanket and simply looking at the clouds roll by. We have to CHOOSE slow. It doesn’t just happen upon us.
My favorite thing about my photography business is that I get to set it at the pace that works best for my family. I get to take only 5-6 sessions a month if I would like. And not feel like I’m somehow missing out. Missing out on more money? maybe? But is it worth it for the trade off of a simpler life? Absolutely. For me it is.
You may have to forego the perfect house. The fancy cars. The many vacations. (Not at all wrong to want, but it’s okay to do without if you don’t desire them!)
I’m looking forward to a Fall of sweet, meaningful sessions, of crocheting and knitting, of embroidering and designing things for others to embroider, of baking and cooking new things, of reading old novels and getting lost in those worlds. It seems too good to be true. And all this joy under the roof of our small little home.
