Embracing The Slow Movement
On September 15th, my life changed forever - I became a grandparent for the first time! Elle Eskowitz marched into this world a little over a month ago and my family has been completely enamored by her presence in our lives, and in our hearts, ever since. It’s a new layer of happiness that I didn’t know existed.
My son Marshall, my beautiful daughter-in-law Jayme…and their daughter, Elle 💕
Getting to see my child with his beautiful wife holding their child has been something indescribable. My friends who are already grandparents used to tell me how amazing it was to experience being a grandparent, but I didn’t get it until I became one. The whole experience is something that is very hard to explain until you’re in it.
It’s amazing what a baby can do for a family. We are all obsessed with Elle. None of us can bear to put her down. At our current level of snuggle infatuation, I don’t know if her feet will ever touch the ground long enough for her to learn how to walk! I am cherishing this precious time with my family. Watching Marshall and Jayme in their new parenting role. Seeing Kevin and Betsy experiencing so much joy in their new aunt and uncle roles. The contentment on Bruce’s face when he’s holding Elle. I feel like I have a million little snapshots of these moments in my head (and let’s be real - on my camera roll). My heart is so full.
I know this first year will go by fast and I want to enjoy the time I have with this precious baby. In the last month or so I have barely thought about my blog or my social media accounts. Lemonade to Lace brings me a lot of satisfaction. It’s a part of me, and I love it. But for the last several weeks I sort of stepped away from it and minimized my posting on all social media accounts. I fully immersed myself in the birth of our first grandchild, and it has actually been very liberating to detach. Let’s just say that my head and my heart have been on Planet Elle. It’s as if nothing else existed other than this beautiful baby girl and the blessing that she’s been to our whole family.
I was having a conversation with my mom a few weeks ago when she said to me, “I know what your next blog post is going to be on. I bet it’s going to be on Elle.” I said, “No. Actually, it’s not. I need to do my next post on fitness because I haven’t written a post on a wellness topic in a while and I’m behind on that”. My blogging calendar was on my mind because I knew I needed to get focused and start writing in order to stay on schedule. What I also realized was my head just wasn’t in it. Did I feel guilty about falling behind and getting off schedule? Absolutely! However, I’m really lucky that Lemonade To Lace is a passion project for me. I started it because I wanted to, not because I had to. When I really started thinking about what I needed to do, versus what I really wanted to do, it made me realize that I was putting unnecessary pressure on myself that was distracting me from being in the moment.
Always Remember To ‘Look Up’
I’d like to think of myself as someone who has a healthy relationship with technology and social media. However, there have been several times in the last year where I have been completely busted looking down at my phone instead of paying attention to where I was in the moment. This summer when Bruce and I were in Italy, we were driving throughout the city of Rome and I was so busy trying to post one of my photos that I was missing the beautiful sights right outside the car window. Bruce said to me, “Barb, Look up. You’re missing everything that’s going on outside because you’re trying to post that photo.” He was so right. Rather than immersing myself in the moment, right here and now, I was looking down at my screen. This wasn’t the first time that had happened either. There was another comical moment on the trip where Bruce caught me sitting on the cold tile floor in the entryway of our suite charging my devices and external batteries. European hotel rooms are not like American hotel rooms y’all…one outlet! I was so glad that he brought that to my attention and said something. It really did make me stop and realize that I was missing out on the beautiful sights. For heaven’s sake! I was in Italy!!
Prioritizing My Time
As a new grandmother I obviously want to spend every second of my day with the baby. However, it’s Marshall and Jayme’s turn to be parents and I want to respect their alone time as a new family of three. I also do want to make time for my blog as it is something that provides me with a sense of fulfillment and joy. It’s time for me to recalibrate my priorities, making sure I strike a balance that leaves me fulfilled and allowing me the opportunity to enjoy every moment to the fullest.
The other week I was watching the Today Show and Hoda Kotb said something that really resonated with me. “Sometimes you don’t even feel anything when you’re running. You’re just running and running and it’s not until you actually put your brakes on and stop, that you realize life hits you with this big wave.” This is exactly what I was experiencing.
After watching this segment it became crystal clear what my next Wellness post needed to be on. I waved good-bye to the physical fitness post I had been working on and said hello to the idea of writing about the importance of getting off the merry-go-round and just slowing down. We’ve become obsessed with speed. Slowing down and being in the moment enables us to have time to think and to enjoy life in real time. We’re able to see more clearly what matters and what doesn’t matter.
There is a new movement out there called the ‘Slow Movement’. It actually advocates living each moment to the fullest. Carl Honore, the author of the book ‘In Praise of Slowness’, states that our obsession with speed “has reached the point of absurdity.” He realized there was a big problem when he was admiring a children’s book of one-minute bedtime stories for kids. He says “slow is a mindset. It’s about quality over quantity. It’s about being present, in the moment. Ultimately, it’s about doing everything not as fast as possible but as well as possible.”
The other day I heard something that resonated with me. Someone said that the best way to upgrade your life is to downsize your screens and devices. If we could just slow down our lives we would all be a whole lot better. When you turn down screens, you slow down time and are actually able to find more meaning in life. Feeling FOMO when you’re disconnected isn’t all that bad, and by the way, it’s only temporary.
I’ve included links below to Carl’s book, as well as some others that were written to help people restructure and live their lives in a way that makes sure you make the most of each moment. I plan on reading these books over the next couple of months because we only have one life and it moves very quickly. I want to make the most out of mine.
Why is it important to slow down?
Our minds need it
Our bodies need it
Our loved ones need it and each of us needs it.
My son and daughter-in-law have just given us the greatest gift imaginable and I don’t want to take one second of it for granted. We can’t stop time but we can make sure that we enjoy every minute and every moment. I will continue to write blog articles and post on social media, but I will create and share them on a schedule that feels right for me in the moment - chances are Elle will be making a lot of guest appearances in both!
To my absolutely precious Elle - Nonnie loves you so much and I can’t wait to spend as much time with you as I can in the slow lane.
xx Barbara