Slow and Steady…
2023 is here and it’s hard to believe we are already halfway into January.
Time seems to be speeding up and the years are going faster and faster. It feels like I was just starting to wrap my head around the holiday season and now it has come and gone. I have been feeling the pull over the last several months to slow down, savor, and stay steady in my pursuit of a balanced, content life. In today’s world, slowing down is one of the hardest things to do. We constantly have things to do, places to be, and tasks to accomplish. The pull that I have been feeling has been telling me that I don’t need to be so consumed with getting it all done right now, but that it will all fall into place at its perfect time. God has shown me this time and time again, and it is easy to forget in our busy, fast-paced world. Slow down, let the pieces of the puzzle fall into place, and be intentional in letting God take control.
Each year in January, I try to think about my goals and come up with my word for the year. Last year my word was RELEASE in regards to releasing control, releasing fear, and releasing the excuses I made for myself that keep me from accomplishing goals. If you had a chance to read any of my blogs from the beginning of 2022, you can tell that “slow” was not my pace. I had about 20 goals (some big, and others small). I worked hard and I am happy to say that I accomplished most of them! Last year I had the space, motivation, and drive to make those things happen. It was a great year for releasing control and just going for it. This year is not that way.
This year my word is SLOW. I started January and quickly realized that I did not have my normal get-up-and-go mentality. I am usually so excited for the new year, new opportunities, and new goals. I typically hit the ground running and by May/June realize that I may have come out of the gate a little too strong. This year, honestly I felt tired and spent the first week of the new year in a state of rest. I didn’t jump into the organization, decluttering, or planning my entire 2023. I played with my kids, I took naps (which I DON’T do regularly), and I kept hearing a little voice in my head saying “it’s okay to slow down.”
This year is a big one for me and my family. There will be a lot of change, a lot of growth, and hopefully a lot of accomplishments. I can feel God urging me to savor the time that I have with my kids before they are both in full-time school next year and savor the time I get to spend with my family and friends. I feel the pull to continue to pursue creating children's books, but to let each story happen when the timing is right. So many stepping stones have been laid out and are in sight, but it is up to me to slow down and carefully make it to each one as I embark on the journey.
If you are like me and you like to have a word for the year, maybe slow can be your word too. Slow down the constant need to be more, do more, and have more. Allow God to find you in the quiet moments of rest and stillness, and allow yourself to savor whatever season you are in right now.
My dad recently retired from being a doctor in my hometown, and he used to always say regarding his practice that he was “just trying to make the world a better place, one day at a time.” I use this mantra frequently and have even let it spill over into my philosophy as an author. I want to be intentional with the life I live and make the world better, one day, one book, one word at a time. Slow down, and stay steady, life is not the race it seems to be. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Take it one step at a time, one day at a time, listen to God’s calling in your life, and make the world a little better than it was yesterday.
May your 2023 be slowed down as you savor the joy, love, laughter, blessings, and memories.
