Slow has become my barometer for family life. My husband says I say it to everyone, whether they understand the status or not as in, “No we just can’t do that this weekend, it’s not feeling slow.” He’s afraid someone might take it the wrong way, or get offended but really, it’s the only thing I’ve got to go on sometimes. It really has become one of my few completely reliable barometers. We RSVP to parties based on whether it will feel slow or not. We assess our weekend based on its slowness. We choose activities based on slowness. We chose our current school using this same measure because though we loved our other school, it was just too much time in the car which didn’t feel slow to me at all.

I’m not saying we’re always moving at a snail’s pace, not by any stretch, but using this slow barometer really does help me keep it sane and steady. And if things aren’t sane and steady, then I use the slow measure to figure out what feels crazy and if it’s temporary and it’s obligatory or if it is somehow serving us in some way, shape or form. It’s really working for me this measure of slowness and to have the word to apply to it all. I think it’s working for the whole family too, although admittedly sometimes my oldest wants to move through the world a little faster than I do. And sometimes we even let her drag us along on her speedy ride – but even she is grateful when we reign it all back in.

So I have a question for you. In your own life, do you ever use Slow as a barometer? I’m curious to know.