Going Slow

There’s a new print magazine on the shelves, in fact, it has been there for a month or two now. It’s called Slow and it’s an addition to an ever-growing trend and movement – the slow movement. You may have heard of it.

The slow movement’s biggest aim is to address the issue of ‘time poverty’ – mainly by establishing connections between communities, neighbours, the natural world and the rhythms within it. It supports the cultural shift occurring at this very moment in time – the shift towards slowing down.

I’ve been fascinated by the slow movement since I first discovered it. It’s about eating slowly, rather than wolfing your food down. It’s about enjoying moments, rather than rushing through them. It’s about taking time to look at things, rather than whizzing past them.  It’s about thinking slowly, and listening to your body. And it’s about living in a state of relaxation, rather than stress.

And it appeals to me so.

It’s the reason I bought The Slow Guide to Melbourne about a year and a half ago. As the preface to the book says, “Living slow is about being unhurried and appreciating all the good things we have around us; it’s about arousing the senses, connecting with the community, taking comfort in the natural world and living happier and healthier lives. It’s not about retreating into a rose-tinted yesteryear but about being more mindful of the way we live. It’s about quality over quantity, pleasure over pressure, and mindfulness over mindlessness.”

For most of our lives slow has been a notion, a tempo, that we’re so unaccustomed to. Growing up you only ever won a running race if you were fast. Slow was reserved for the non-sporty. Driving slow is something you associate with grannies. Waking up slow means feeling sluggish. Being slow to find an answer, or to express an opinion, is seen as being unwilling or shy. Dancing to a slow song isn’t usually as fun as dancing to boppy, fast-paced songs. Restaurants in beachside towns always seem to close over Winter, because it is the slow season. Movies that are slow are mind-numbingly boring. And, unfortunately, the dim-witted in our school classrooms were always classified as being somewhat slow.

So, when a movement like the slow one comes along, and redefines the term, it takes some time to getting used to it.

And, as appealing as it is, there is just something about the whole movement that is, for want of a better word, so incredibly slow.

We all enjoy the feeling – and usually it occurs when we’re on holidays – when time and schedules are thrown out of the window, and everything is done for pleasure and enjoyment. There’s that certain peace when we’re disconnected from technology, when we can lie on a beach all day, or let the hours roll by and lose ourselves in a city, or book. I love that feeling. That’s why holidays are so precious. Next year I’ll be going to a fairly deserted and very idyllic island for my honeymoon. My fiancé and I often joke that we might just love it so much we’ll skip our lives and stay there forever.

For a lot of people, living ‘slow’ is something they are unwilling to do, or simply cannot. I think the reality lies in finding bits and pieces we like about the slow movement and adopting them into our lives. It’s not about rushing out and changing your entire lifestyle – because that’s terribly unrealistic. For me, it’s about being more aware of what my body is telling me and managing stress. It’s about taking time out every now and again just for me. The truth is, if I had to go slow too much I’d go a little batty. I actually like being on the go. I like having a lot to do. It’s about finding that balance, and reminding ourselves to stop and just breathe every now and again.

Sometimes, as wonderful as an idea seems – like skipping your life and staying on an island forever – you know, deep down, that you’re never going to do it. Because the life that you’ve got right now is pretty damn peachy – so why the hell slow it down too much?

To find out more about the slow movement click here, the Slow Magazine, click here  and the fantastic Slow Guides, click here . Also, check out Trespass Magazine’s reviews of the Slow Guides to Sydney and Melbourne here.