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BREATHE ... slow has a purpose.

4/22/2016

11 Comments

 
Over the past few weeks I've been thinking about the power of slowing down. My craft, the thing that I actually do with my hands in order to make a living, is  slow. I should be aware that "slow" can be powerful and purposeful. 

​Every so often (read often), even in small business, you can find yourself buckled under a hefty pile of deadlines, expectations, excitement, apprehension and adrenaline. It's a weird and wonderful mix of baggage that can leave you teetering under it's weight.

These feelings, by the way, are not exclusive to newbies.  In fact, if you've been doing whatever it is that you do each and every day for a super-long time and feel none of these things you may want to give yourself a pinch to be sure that you haven't fallen asleep at the wheel.

So a little adrenaline-elixir can be an excellent thing. True. But lately I seem to have lost sight of the quiet space which I need to make sense of it all. I forgot, for a moment, that without slowing down I get really, really bad at putting things into perspective, prioritizing, and being effective.

Slow is what I do! I make things. With my hands! For a living! How could I have forgotten to slow down?
Maybe because slow is more of a practice than a principal.  Something that I need to take part in rather than intellectualize.
Maybe we all  just need to walk on the beach. Pick up an instrument and plunk away. Make something with our hands. Bake a loaf of bread. Spend time with a child. Spend time with your dog.  We know this. We just need to do it.

What do you do to slow down? 


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11 Comments
Marie Beers
4/22/2016 11:16:11 am

I hook to slow down. What beautiful photos----where were you?

Reply
Heidi link
4/22/2016 11:27:27 am

Hi Marie,
Rug Hooking is a go-to for me as well. Or even just the planning of new rugs. ...thinking and planning.
Thanks for your comments about the photos as well. These were taken this week, along the Bay of Fundy, in Albert County.

Reply
Kathryn Riester
4/22/2016 11:40:30 am

Thanks, Heidi. I needed this. Spring has arrived in Indiana and I am pulled so many directions. Even in retirement I find it hard to slow down. Enjoy rug hooking and growing flowers and so many things.... By the way, one of your photos reminded me of our visit to Joggins Fossil Cliffs on a vacation. I guess that's not so far away, is it?

Heidi
4/22/2016 03:40:51 pm

Kathryn,
Joggins is not too far at all (as the crow flies). Happy Spring to you! I'm looking forward to planting my veggies soon.

Cynthia
4/22/2016 01:54:05 pm

Being outside, a part of nature, being anywhere near a body of water, no matter how small, once I hear the rippling sounds...my footsteps slow, then stop and listen, breath. Love it!
Reading, knitting and hooking also 🌊💕

Reply
Heidi
4/22/2016 03:43:28 pm

A large body of water has a way of putting things into perspective doesn't it?
And books. Yes! Are you on goodreads? We should connect....

Reply
Nancy J. Fitzgerald link
5/20/2016 10:51:11 am

I just returned from work on a new preserve that is a bequest of 65 acres with trails that hug the shore of Frenchman's Bay in Downeast Maine, one mile from my home.
I did the blue paint markings for the trees on the trails. I took my time, honoring the memory of my friend who made the bequest. And I realized, not for the first time, how healing it is to be in the woods.

Reply
Nancy J. Fitzgerald link
5/20/2016 10:51:17 am

I just returned from work on a new preserve that is a bequest of 65 acres with trails that hug the shore of Frenchman's Bay in Downeast Maine, one mile from my home.
I did the blue paint markings for the trees on the trails. I took my time, honoring the memory of my friend who made the bequest. And I realized, not for the first time, how healing it is to be in the woods.

Reply
Heidi
5/20/2016 12:38:15 pm

Yes. What a beautiful thought and something to remember.

Reply
Ruth Houtby
5/8/2018 01:52:52 pm

Heidi - thanks for the reminder. I think that slowing down is really about self care. Something that as a minister we are reminded of because when the well is empty you have nothing left to give. I know that applies to creativity as well. I always feel deprived if a day goes by and I don't create something! But I do miss those walks by the shore so thank you for the pictures. That was a way that I slowed down everyday in the east - walking out on the Dorchester marsh to the water with the dogs!

Reply
Kian link
11/26/2020 08:47:25 pm

Appreciatee this blog post

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    ​WELCOME
     Everyday I try to find a little something that makes life interesting. A good book, a wagging dog, a cool breeze,  tea with a friend.
    Here are my field notes about making, discovering, and enjoying a simple, slow, handmade life. 
    Thanks so much for visiting. I appreciate your spending time with me. 
     xo Heidi
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    ​STITCHER, MAKER, DREAMER, BOOK REVIEWS summer 2016

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