How dwelling on what's lovely reorients our inner and outer lives
TSD #007 - tips & insights for making a slow, well-rooted life
It won’t go as planned, but it may still be good.
This is this what winter taught me. I, as usual, had grand ambitions for how my writing and creativity would unfold at the start of this new year, but then we got a new president, the world turned upside down, and I had to recalibrate. My creative and emotional energy had to flow towards the crisis areas of my work, which meant I had to pull back on showing up in other places. But this isn’t a bad thing. It’s just a life thing. We roll with it.
I do hope you and your loves ones are faring well as we move through all sorts of strain, fear, and uncertainty. If there’s one lesson life teaches me again and again its that we are most powerful when we draw our energy into what we can influence and control, which is our choices, our attention span, and how we live out our values each and every day. It’s not easy work, but it is good and satisfying work, even as the world turns on its head.
For today, welcome to The Slow Down, an occasional column featuring tips, insights, and resources for making a slow, well-rooted life.
the slow down tip
Contemplate the beautiful.
One of my favorite verses from the ancient Christian scriptures was written by St. Paul to a gathering of the faithful in a town called Philippi, which is now an archaeological site in modern day Greece. In this one line of his letter he says,
“Finally, dear siblings, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”1
He then goes on to say, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”2
Last week, I shared a post about engaging the news without losing our souls. My point was that we must practice attending to our nervous systems as we engage with media because constant emotional and psychological dysregulation only leads to more chaos and disorientation. By learning how to slow down, how to breathe, how to ground our bodies in the present moment, we strengthen our ability to face the day’s challenges with wisdom, rootedness, and care.
Contemplating the beautiful, the lovely, the sacred, the true, and the good—as echoed in the ancient letter of St. Paul to a community he loved—is another way we modern day folks can support ourselves, and one another, in rooting our lives into that which makes for peace. Peace is hard to come by these days. Anxiety, urgency, and fear are our shared norm. But what if the Divine has another pathway for us? What if the Holy is inviting us into rest? What if, in fact, the God of peace desires to be with us in the chaos of our time?
I believe St. Paul’s words, though written centuries ago in a context very unlike our own, hold true meaning for those of us seeking to remain grounded and to keep our nervous systems regulated as we face the tumult bombarding our news feeds. By fixing the gaze of our souls on whatever is true, lovely, right, pure, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy, and beautiful, we are positioning our hearts to align with these healing and restorative virtues.
How do you do this? By taking note of the lovely and beautiful in your midst and expressing gratitude for it. By stepping outside and letting the excellent design of the natural world wash over you and reorient your senses. By offering appreciation when elected officials do something right or noble, even if they aren’t the team you voted for. By setting aside time each day to pray for your enemies and to bless those who curse you. By taking ownership of your own brokenness and imperfection, not to shame yourself, but to be reminded of our shared humanity as people out here in the world just trying to figure it out. These are all a few ways dwelling on the beautiful and aligning our hearts with virtues of healing and restoration, might make for peace in ourselves and in the world. Perhaps this contemplation and embodiment of the lovely, good, and true has been some part of God’s intention for humanity all along.
What might it look like for you to contemplate the beautiful today? Where have you recently encountered something excellent or praiseworthy?
Make space in your day to think on such things.
nature speaks
The dandelions are back. Winter’s cold seems to have come and gone, though we won’t be sure until April 15th, or that’s what the farmers say. A few days ago my husband Alex and I wandered through the part of our acre that we call the meadow. It was blanketed in soft yellow dandelion blossoms. Alex swears he can smell them. I believe him. The air does smell and feel like springtime.
Part of me is grieving. I’ve loved winter. It may very well be my favorite season of the year. While last winter dragged on forever, this year’s winter has felt much too short. What’s both wild and comforting about the seasons, however, is that they change whether we’re feeling into it or not. Whether we’re up for it, or not. Whether we are welcoming the change, or not. The earth reminds us that time turns onward and forward. Our only option is to receive and accept the gift of life, however it arrives.
Nature speaks:
How are you noticing the change in seasons? What does this shift evoke in you?
off the shelf
There are a couple books in my line-up right now, and I’m moving through them slowly:
Theology of the Womb: Knowing God Through the Body of a Woman by Christy Angelle Bauman which is about the ways we encounter God’s story through the anatomy of the woman’s body—breasts, vagina, ovaries and all.
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna is a fiction coming-of-age story about a girl who learns that what makes her different is the very thing that makes her extraordinary.
worth lingering over
This post by Kathryn M. on “11 Things to Stay Sane and Be Content in 2025.”
This podcast conversation about the ways desperation compels us to make decisions that are not in alignment with our values, and what we how we can approach life differently.
This and this jam by my beloved Maggie Rogers.
Catch you next time. Much love,
Bethaney
Links to Stay In the Loop
Philippians 4:8
Philippians 4:9