Back

Slow | Day 4 of my 2023 Journal

Cecilie Conrad·Jan 4, 2023· 2 minutes
I do slow stuff, and there is no logic to it. I knit, and I play the handpan, and I draw, and I spend hours in the kitchen. I sit down to watch the colors of the sunset or paint the flowers in the garden. 

There is no logic in slow. It would be so much more rational to go for results, for efficiency, for achieving more, faster, better. 

But the thing is this: 

The irrational, intuitive presence is where real life is lived. The wine and the laughing and the warm sun rays on the cheeks, the days spent walking in nature, not going anywhere in particular, or the afternoons with the wool in my hands, or the drawings I sit with for hours while listening to Beethoven. Or the zen of cooking complicated meals. 

It is a trap we can all fall into, to think we need to be so organized, so structured, to have our finances and our workouts, and our carriers and our educations on a leash, making sure we get up early and work hard to achieve our goals on all levels. And then we run. We run and run and run. From the moment we wake up until the second we sleep. We run to tick all the boxes, to improve, to grow, to earn more, to learn more, and achieve more. 

Yet - we lose everything. In reality, the good life works the other way around. The structure, the focus, and the discipline are all servants of the good life. Of course, we need them, but we need them to make space for what is essential, to ensure we have time for sunsets, handmade presents, art, music, love, laughter, silence, and beauty. 

slow-collage

I am currently knitting a Hogwarts college pullover for my oldest son and more secret projects for others of my loved ones, which makes no sense. Yet I enjoy it immensely; it makes so much more sense than all the rational things I could have done. It makes sense in my heart and soul; that is where I want to live my life. 


Love and light

Cecilie-Underskrift-300x133

Cecilie Conrad

#4 of my 365 writing challenge - Read them all here

Unschooling and Parent consulting, conversations, blogposts, and podcasts on family life and learning

Hi, I'm Cecilie Conrad. I'm a trained psychologist, mother of four, radical unschooler and full-time traveller. I have lived with unschooling for over a decade and help other families find their own path – whether it is about homeschooling, unschooling, or the bigger question of how you want to live as a family.

I offer guidance, conversations and talks. I call my work grandmothering – not coaching in the traditional sense, but presence, professional insight and concrete help navigating motherhood and finding your way home to your own values.

Am I the right person to help you? You can book a free discovery call, and we'll talk and figure it out.

Listen to my podcasts

I share my knowledge and curiosity about family life and learning in my two podcasts.

Read my latest blogposts

“Mom, you never regret the changes of the sunset. You enjoy the sunset. But you don’t want it to be the same all the time. Then it would not be a sun…Read more
"I feel sorry for people who never read Shakespeare", my 15-year-old son told me one late night in the darkness and the tiredness after just another …Read more
Life is in the moment of the things we do. Whether we are studying a language or talking to a friend, or going for a walk, the most important is not …Read more
Letting go of control and ambition is not letting go of presence and enthusiasm. We trust the flow of life, the joy of learning, the natural curiosit…Read more
Einstein apparently said the following. “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent,…Read more
Education and learning is an intrinsic element of human life, can not be stopped, and institutions are not necessary for children to get good educati…Read more
We left a wonderful lifestyle in a beautiful city to get an adventurous lifestyle based on traveling, unschooling, community, and our open hearts to …Read more
So, we unschool. We believe in personal growth and educating yourself. Education should be voluntary and self-directed. Motivation is the key factor…Read more
From personal freedom grows independent persons. Children need the right to pursue their own path in life. Read more