Slow Living Lifestyle In The Early Days Of Summer

Practicing a slow living lifestyle calls for us to take the time to fully appreciate both the moments we are in and the beauty of the big gorgeous world around us. It beckons us to understand that all of our power is in the now.

Life really does consist of just the moment we are in. This very moment is where life is lived.

Yes, we must have goals for the future. And we need a solid plan as to how we are going to reach those goals.

We have to apply ourselves to working toward those goals. And, often, we will need to work very hard to reach them.

But … we also must be absolutely sure to enjoy the basic pleasures that can be found in the seemingly mundane tasks of every day living.

And regularly take a little extra time to squeeze every bit of pleasure out of activities we adore, but feel we never have time for.

Slow Living Summer’s Early Morning Hours

For me today … that was enjoying an early morning sunrise. Her beauty was enchanting and left me wanting to spend the rest of my morning dilly-dallying a bit in the great outdoors of northern Maine.

So, I decided to head out to the woods, for a long leisurely walk, before I really got a start on my day. And, as it turned out, that was exactly what I needed.

Picking Wildflowers

The weather was quite lovely, and I was feeling inspired to just immerse myself deep within the arms of Mama Nature. I set out to let the worries of the world fall away and simply frolic in her splendor for a bit.

It wasn’t difficult to do, as she had placed wildflowers absolutely everywhere I looked, to entice me. ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE!

I gathered enough to make this sweet little bouquet to put in my entryway to greet anyone who stops by to visit. I’m pretty wild about how the lilies and daisies compliment each other.

I gathered some buttercups, yellow and orange hawkweed and several other varieties as well. I was able to make 3 more small bouquets to place around the house.

It’s the simplest things, like seeing a vase of wildflowers when you walk into a room, that lend a very notable level of quality to our days.

Implementing such seemingly small pleasures into our daily lives is one of my favorite slow living lifestyle principles for sure.

Making Sun Tea

Sun tea has been on my late spring/early summer agenda a lot this year. It’s mad silly how easy it is to make the tastiest jar of fresh brewed tea using just the power of the sun.

It’s as simple as placing a tea bag in a quart jar of warm water and setting it out in a sunny spot to brew. It really is that easy. Not even kidding.

And there is definitely something about the way it tastes when it’s ready to drink. It must be the slow brew process. And, of course, the infusion of the sun’s energy as it warms that quart jar should not be overlooked.

Making A Handmade Rose Sugar Scrub

While my sun tea brewed throughout the afternoon, I turned my attention to a few chores around the house. But only because they were necessary, as I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the roses I had picked earlier on my walk.

I’ve always loved handmade … well … just about EVERYTHING. And when I came across these lovely roses I just knew that some of them were destined to become a handmade rose sugar scrub for me to enjoy one evening this week.

One of the key components of a slow living lifestyle is to do ones best to keep things as locally and organically produced as possible. So shopping small and getting to know your farmer are the kind of things that slow living proponents strive for.

I love to shop small. And I’m all about getting to know my local farmer. BUT … the real point of living slow for me, is to produce and forage as much of the products I consume myself. So, when I can actually harvest the ingredients for a product and make it in my own kitchen I get pretty excited!

And at this time of year when Mama Earth is giving my gorgeous fresh roses to work with … it’s impossible to resist making something indulgent for myself. Foolish even.

I made the most divine rose sugar scrub ever. I’ll put a recipe at the bottom of this post for you. You can snag it there, even print it out if you like.

Slow Living Afternoon Lunch

By the time I was done watching the sunrise, dilly-dallying in the northern Maine woods, brewing a little sun tea, and making a sugar scrub I was just starving.

I had prepped some cashews yesterday to make a vegan cheese sauce and I was itching to get to it.

Vegan cheese sauce is just the best on loaded nachos. So YUMMY!

They’re so easy to make. They taste really great. And they really don’t heat up the kitchen at all. Perfect for summer.

Everyone loves them, vegan or not. And they make a great appetizer, lunch, and sometimes … even dinner.

I’ll put a recipe card below for the nachos as well. Snag it and print it. You’re gonna use it all the time, promise.

Slow Living Summer’s Evening Hours

Late lunches are usually followed by very busy afternoons for me. But today I was feeling pretty dedicated to having a complete day in tune with nothing more than nature and my own whims. A sort of dangerous combination as those who really know me would tell you 😉

So, I ran with the whole I’m going to fully implement slow living lifestyle leisure activities into my day, my whole day. And I blew off the rest of the afternoon at a park with my gorgeous bulldogge, Riley.

The entire day was filled with positivity, indulgence, and self care. It was much needed. It really was.

So, I figured I might as well end it as it had begun. Admiring the glory of one of the sun’s two majestic performances each day, the sunset.

And as always she gave me a one of a kind show. There is something very special about the northern Maine sky. She has a place in my heart for sure.

I’m not certain when I’ll actually get outside to see the sunrise and the sunset in the same day again. I’m not a routine early morning riser.

I do admit that in spite of the pleasure I take from sleeping just longer than the sun, I wouldn’t be too grumpy about a day like today coming around again real soon!

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