slow is pro

living at a human pace

Sooooo…. I didn’t finish my substack post for this week. I mean, it’s almost done. But not quite. And here’s the thing about it: I could’ve pushed through. I could’ve ignored everything else that was planned for today, I could’ve woken up earlier, stayed up later, etc. etc. Of course, I could have, yet, the quality wouldn’t be the same.

This year, I’ve been very intentional about living a “slow life.” Unlike most things in my life, I didn’t even bother to research it. Maybe I have a head start, being raised by hippies who value the little things, practice gratitude, teach thoughtfulness, and focus on collective care. Growing up like that didn’t prevent me from living a fast life—when society demands you move faster than a human pace, it’s easy to get caught up. And there were some pretty intense years… at one point, I was caring for my immunocompromised dad through multiple surgeries during a pandemic while in law school (among other things). The pressure was unimaginable, and every day it felt like there was more news about how the world was on fire. It took everything I had just to get out of bed in the morning. My body rebelled—I’d fall asleep nearly every afternoon, no matter how much I slept the night before or how much coffee I had, or whatever other “self-care” I had done. The stress was so high for so long, every day my body just said, Nope.

It feels like I’ve spent the last several years doing what I can to come down from that awful cortisol high, to heal my mind, body, and literally grow back some grey matter.

Two weeks ago, I was preparing to give a lecture at Kedge Business School in Paris. It was 6 hours of class time, all about what Earth Law is and how we can re-imagine sustainability based on its principles. I was working on my slides and felt a bit nervous—I’ve never taught for 6 hours in one day before. Did I have too much material? Too little? How did I want to frame the day? Should I present this or that first? What makes the most sense?

Instead of pushing through, I took a break. I went to the local pool, enjoyed the sun, and swam the laziest laps with my sunglasses on just to feel the salt water pressing against my skin. After my mind and body relaxed, the presentation wrote itself as I slowly swam back and forth. Thoughts just flowed. I finished the slides that afternoon.

This is why slow is pro. I’ve shared this expression before, sailors say it a lot, usually about docking the boat. But it applies to so much—double-checking the wind, expecting things to take longer because they always do.

So today, after much research, I had the essay complete—but not the art piece that goes with it. And I decided to be ok with that. I also decided that, after nearly one-and-a-half years of posting every Sunday, I am going to post bi-weekly and maybe even work on normalising irregular posting times! Apparently, other authors are doing this, as life doesn’t always neatly fall in line with calendars. This speed will allow me to maintain quality and add more of what I enjoy: art. I’m working on a surrealist watercolour series exploring societal myths, our reality, and transformation—and I want to share at least one painting per month while continuing to live at a human pace.

Next week, you’ll have the first art piece and essay.

Thank you for being loyal readers and staying with me on this journey, where I learn to live at a human pace.

Photo by Krzysztof Niewolny on Unsplash