Personal Reflection
When life feels so fast paced and everyone (including me) seems to be looking for instant gratification and quick results, slowing down can be a real challenge. I find that winter naturally is a season of slower days. The autumn rush of weddings, family portraits, and senior pictures has slowed down, giving us a much-needed chance to collectively catch our breath and to appreciate more unhurried family time together. (It also allows us to focus on some other elements of running a photography business that get neglected during the flurry of photoshoots and seemingly endless hours of editing.)
This time of year, dawn awakens more leisurely, while an earlier dusk hastens the coming of the evening hours. As any native New Englander knows, it’s not only the bears that hibernate, but also us humans that often do the same as well. This season has provided a fresh reminder that rest is a necessary counterbalance and fuel for hard work. One skill I’ve been enjoying during this more restful season is the edible art of baking sourdough bread. I was hesitant and certainly late to jump on this popular trend but have nonetheless joined in with great enthusiasm! I’m certainly not an expert sourdough baker, by any stretch, but it’s been exciting getting to hone my skills these past several months.
Just like in my daily routine, I find it easier to move at an intentionally slower pace on certain days. Some days I enjoy tediousness more than others, which is a good perspective to have when making sourdough bread (stretch and fold, wait 30 minutes, stretch and fold again, wait another 30 minutes, stretch and fold once more, wait another… you get the point)!
This winter season has provided some much-needed respite for me (and hopefully for you) from the hustle and bustle of the warmer months of the year. Knowing that spring is just around the corner—along with its quickened pace of life—I am savoring this more restful period by not filling my calendar to the brim. Rather, these days you can find me enjoying purposefully unhurried time with my family and trying out all kinds of new sourdough recipes in the kitchen.
During 2024, let’s strive not to be so busy. Instead, allow time to lean into the “art of the slow” to discover that there is sincere beauty there, which is all too easy to miss.
