8 Books for Slow Living | no. 20
We live in a world that is constantly moving, pushing, racing towards more and better and “never enough.” This mentality has never aligned with my spirit, but I didn’t identify it as the root of my discomfort until my first young-adult years as a newly married woman.
There’s a quote I heard a few months ago that explains, specifically the United States’ need, to move so fast that we numb ourselves to our thoughts and feelings. I feel I have to share it here. I can’t remember where it came from and can’t find it anywhere on the internet, so if you know the origin of this quote, please let me know in the comments so I can credit it :)
It goes something like this: “Americans can’t just be, they have to do. But that’s not enough to do, they have to have a purpose. They can’t just have a purpose, they have to be successful. They can’t just be successful, they have to make an impact. But making an impact isn’t enough, they have to leave a legacy.”
Running the race that the culture, our country, or our world says we need to only to die completely isolated from our true nature in Christ and meaningful connection with our family and friends is not worth it for me.
Today, I want to share with you a few of my favorite books on slowing down, getting intentional, and living counterculture. These slow-living books have not only inspired me over the years to live how God designed me, more in tune with nature and the people around me, enjoying every moment; they’ve shown me just how many of us are living the lives we thought would fulfill us but have only left us empty and longing for something more. We try to fill the empty spaces with shopping, drinking, being successful, keeping a perfectly tidy home, casual sex, learning as much as we can about everything, dieting, and a myriad of other combinations.
Ironically, I find that empty space normally gets filled when the excess is stripped away, the noise is lowered, and the God who designed us can show us just how much he loves us even without our smoke and mirrors display.
I hope these books show you you aren’t alone if you’re feeling overwhelmed, if the things you thought would make you happy leave you discontented and stressed.
These slow-living books might bring a little peace to your soul as you discover you don’t need what the world says you do to be happy. Some of these titles are about individuals’ journeys to slowing down, others are titles on slow care of our lives (cleaning, mending, cooking, gardening). I find all of these nurture me in unique ways!
Simplicity Parenting (this is on my to-read list currently)
There’s No Such Thing As Bad Weather
Have you been settling for a life the world told you to live? What does your ideal day look like with the messy, the normal, and the beautiful wrapped up together?