Some days are filled with home cooked meals, completely from scratch. Bread is baking, broth is simmering, and dinner is marinating. These days are the days that achieved goal happy dances are made of. These are the days that leave me feeling joyfully exhausted, knowing that my achy feet kept me up and moving to give my absolute best to the ones I love most. I feel like I’m at my best on days like these.
Then there are those other days. Days when the homemade chicken noodle soup with scratch made bone broth just doesn’t sound anywhere near as good as a double bacon cheeseburger with pickles and a side of salty fries. Days where lunch and dinner are ordered in and sugary soda replaces water, coffee, or tea.
Both kinds of days happen. Both are ok. A slow, intentional, simple life can absolutely be achieved on both types of days. The key, just as with most other things in life, is balance.
For me, balance is an 80/20 ratio (and no, I’m not talking ground beef). If 80% of the time, I’m feeding myself and my loved ones healthier, more nourishing foods than not – I will call that a win any day. A slow, simple life isn’t one you stress over; there’s no “perfect” way to live simply or intentionally. While I would love to constantly have the motivation, energy, and wherewithal for everyday to be filled with three square meals of grass-fed, homemade, unadulterated food – I know that’s a standard I will fail to reach each time. Knowing this, coming to terms with this, and accepting that every now and again take-out will be on the menu helps me to truly slow life down and focus on what matters most in the moment that is passing.
