Just Slow Down

/ Jessica

Have you ever noticed how sometimes the weeks seem to grab on to the wind’s coat tails? 

And, how sometimes , time itself is in a race to see how fast it can reach that last day of the month?

That’s how I’ve felt since October. Some days I wake up scratching my head, wondering where the moments have gone.

Simply put, we’ve been busy. Ugh. Now there’s a word with mixed meanings. If you’ve got nothing to do, busy seems like a dream come true. 

But, if you’re stuck underneath a giant to-do list, busy is the last thing you want to be. 

That’s where we’ve set up camp. Running here, running there, doing this, doing that. Gone ALL THE TIME. While the reasons behind all that doing are good, all that doing is wearing us out. 

Ten days ago, we took a break and went to my parent’s house for a week. It was nice. Our “have to be somewhere schedule” came to a screeching halt. I’ve gotta be honest here, it was freeing.

One evening we took a drive and ended up in a little bitty town. Like small. Super small. It was quite obvious it’s days of busy were long gone. 

The streets were literally gravel roads and as we made our way around the blocks, I noticed many of the houses looked like they were ten steps past abandoned. 

The storefront windows were empty and dark. The railroad tracks seemed lonely. Instead of hearing the constant chatter of train whistles blaring, there was only silence. 

The grain elevator stood tall as it braced itself against the sunset. I bet if such structures were given name tags, it would wear “Stately” quite well.

Although this might sound contrary, being there filled my heart with a sense of peace. I mean, can you imagine the town in it’s day? 

It was probably robust and bustling with families running here and there. Merchants getting their goods and setting up shop. Farmers raising crops and bringing them to town to sell. 

The church pews were probably crammed packed on Sunday mornings and during the week, the school desks probably held elbows on top and legs dangling below them. 

Being there that day was so refreshing. It was almost like we flipped back the calendar years, stepped right into days gone by, and for the first time in two months, actually had a chance to just slow down. 

34 thoughts on “Just Slow Down”

  1. Beautiful photos of the small town. I’m thankful that you had a resting and relaxing time. Slow Down (actually that’s what my grandson told me about my driving!!)
    We are going to my son’s Christmas Eve. I can’t wait!!!!!!
    Love you

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    • Hi Sheryl. Thank you for your kind words. It’s kind of neat you said that about the stories there. I looked up the town and found out a few interesting things. If the weather cooperates this weekend, I hope to go back by and take a few more pictures and write some more about it.

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  8. I think this is one side effect of globalism. Trade with other nations is a good thing, but not at the expense of our own people. We in turn are partly to blame with our constant demand for cheaper and cheaper goods. I for one have and will continue to pay more for goods made here.

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  11. Love this one. I know just what you mean when you said it was freeing to be somewhere and not have to live up to “the schedule”. I had that experience when we went to Des Moines to our kids two weeks ago. It kind of reset my mind so I could take a breath.
    Those pictures are so cool! You sound like me when you imaging what it was like way back when.

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    • Oh how I love what you said! Especially the part about resetting your mind. Being able to catch a breath is soooooo nice.

      How fun that you went to Des Moines. I have family there. Have you been to the covered bridges near there and John Wayne’s birth place? Some neat placed around there.

      I think you and I are kindred spirits. Living in this time, but loving other time periods as well.

      Thanks for your compliment about my pictures. You couldn’t beat that sunset. The one with the Ford tailgate is a bit grainy, but I wanted to share it anyway. It was just the truck bed. No cab. And it was all full of weeds growing in it. 😊

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        • Yes! Sisters!! ❤️

          We didn’t go into John Wayne’s house, just drove by it. At the time Little Bit was 3 months old and I used all his patience up taking pictures of the bridges! Ha!

          Glad you like the truck. It looked pretty cool in a yard where nobody lives.

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