SLOW LIVING

When I think about the concept of slow living, I’m transported to a certain time and place. It’s July, 2016. I wake up to the gentle stream of light filling my room and sleepily walk out to a terrace that overlooks the Mediterranean. I’m in Praiano, a charming fishing village on the Amalfi Coast of Italy. Below, an old man leisurely moves a number of large, heavy pot plants from his terrace as he prepares to re-paint. There is chipped paint everywhere and his movements are so slow that I am left bewildered and stressed about the inefficient way he is going about this. His pace is mellow and his face is relaxed. He does finish, eventually and he’s content with his slow and steady work. The streets are quiet in sleepy Praiano. It’s warm, but the sun is gentle, unlike the harsh, unforgiving sun at home in Australia. I can still remember the gentle, warm, enveloping feeling while overlooking the sea