At the end of 2025, I identified my 2026 One Little Word and theme for the year as “slow.” I purposely didn’t say too much about the why behind choosing the word then and promised to reveal a bit more as we got into 2026.

(See the January update here!)

This is what I started with:

For 2026, I decided to keep a note in my phone to document all of the tiny, daily ways I am choosing to slow down. I’ll end with a short reflection on this month, following my list.

2026 SLOW

February

• I downloaded and printed the Fort Knox housing floor plan with the intent to use the room measurements to start space and furniture planning ahead of our move this summer, but I STOPPED MYSELF! I decided I can live in the mystery of waiting until we get there to decide. I’ve done this with almost every house we have PCS’ed to, with the idea that I can determine ahead of time what furniture we may or may not need, what new items like rugs or filler pieces we may need. I would argue that it’s for the sake of financial and logistical preparedness, but the truth is that it is a means of control. In doing this, I try to control a lot of discomfort I feel in leaving one home and trying to manage the discomfort of moving again. Not everything has to be studied, maximized, and optimized ahead of time. I am trying to reimagine this by waiting until we show up, and just letting the house and our things find their flow.
• I really felt convicted about my need to always “get credit” for ideas or as the originator of something. This is definite eldest daughter, big sister energy. Honestly, it comes off as very insecure and needy. I decided I don’t need to say anything or respond (usually passive-aggressively) just to make sure I’m recognized. Embracing humility and letting contributions go unrecognized or unnoticed is okay. I’m leaning in to the bigger inner life and inner-knowing rather than the louder, prideful, congratulations from self or others.
• On a recent Saturday, I was 7th in line at USPS, with only one slow-moving postal worker. I didn’t text an update to Ryan, waiting in the car to keep him apprised. I just let it take as long as it took. In my waiting, I met and talked to a new stranger-friend, Dee, the whole time. It felt nice to just be patient and not huff and puff about the inefficiency of the USPS. I made a faith connection with Dee and hope she left our exchange just as encouraged as I was.
• I have a “Soothing Christian Acoustic Mix” on Spotify. It’s a public playlist someone else made. Since hearing “Slower I Go,” by SEU Worship, I’ve had it on constant repeat. It encapsulates the cry of my heart in my SLOW experiment.
  “Slow feet, slow plans
  Steadfast in patience
  Rid me of my quickness
  I’ll be soon to listen
  It seems as though the slower I go, the faster I arrive.”
• There’s been an ongoing interpersonal situation with someone I only interact with on a somewhat regular basis, a casual acquaintance. I simply do not jibe with this person’s personality and actions, and have just decided that I’ll put in the bare minimum and not allow myself to be baited or triggered by her– and that this is wisdom. I used to never do this. I felt I had to work really hard to make a friendship or allyship happen, especially in certain circles. I would look inward, stay in turmoil. What about me doesn’t she like or see as valuable? How can I connect with her? Now? Nope! I’m not mean or unfriendly, but I am also not too concerned with having her as a close friend. I have learned to acknowledge that her actions (pettiness, cattiness, and attention-seeking) say more about her than me. It’s a “don’t cast your pearls before swine” thing where I am peaceable, but offer no other, extra energy toward this person. (Thanks to Ryan for helping me work through this!)
• I have added in Sunday Sabbath naps; I work from home professionally and as the family CEO. I could find something that needs to be done all seven days of the week, all waking hours of the day. Not only can this lead to burnout, but it can also lead to resentment. I have typically had a hard time taking naps or sleeping during the day. I have always told myself it’s lazy, unproductive, and I’ve honestly judged myself for it. I am learning to give myself permission that while it’s okay to use part of the day on Sunday to get ready for the week ahead, I am also worthy of taking time to stretch out and take a nap or rest. This may be one of the most important ways to “prep for the week ahead.”
• Related to the napping, during a recent Lectio 365 meditation, something the narrator said really struck me: “Sometimes the hardest word we hear God say is not ‘repent,’ but ‘relax.‘” Whoa! That one got me. Perhaps a deeper, longer discussion for another time, but the way that striving and hustling can cross the line into sinfulness is not lost on me. As I’m living through this year, I am beginning to see that sometimes the word SLOW can be interchangeable with the word REST.
• I had a male employee at Tractor Supply ask me if I needed help carrying an oversized (but not heavy) item to my car. While my refusal was verbally polite, on the inside, I was SORELY OFFENDED. I took this as an affront to my personal strength to manage, felt insulted like he saw my femaleness and was being chauvinistic, like I was being judged for my gender, age, or something else. Again, I was polite in my exchange with this employee, but once I got back to the car, I immediately questioned my heart. Why was I so offended? Could it be that I was unfairly jumping to conclusions? Maybe he was just being nice? Maybe this is standard employee protocol for online orders. What caused me to slow down was that my attitude was ugly, and sometimes things aren’t that complicated. This was a simple, kind offer, and I should perhaps give people the benefit of the doubt. The Tractor Supply employee wasn’t in the wrong. I was. The way I internally overreacted made me feel ugly, embarrassed, and convicted.
• I’ve been having some big feelings lately about church and community. Too much to get into here, but I’ve been feeling a little tender and fragile about being at church of late. A lot of it has to do with vulnerability, belonging, and moving soon. So I have stayed home from church a few times and watched our Williamsburg Community Chapel services, and it’s been exactly what my soul has needed. It’s okay to take breaks sometimes, even from things that are good and right. I also recognize that I am using this as an excuse to avoid discomfort, which only serves to exacerbate it. Two things can be true at the same time, I guess.
• I decided to cancel our YMCA membership a few months earlier than anticipated since it was going mostly unused. Over the past month, I’ve started a daily practice of completing a Grow With Jo YouTube dance video, and this has felt much more aligned with my goals for movement. I can do this from anywhere, even when traveling, and the endorphins I experience when I am dancing/aerobicizing have been the exact mood boost I’ve needed. This feels like a return to something I have loved doing since I was a teenager. I now have a 24-video playlist of Jo’s workouts, and I’m always excited to pick one every day.

Reflection

My February list is considerably shorter than my January list of examples when I’ve noticed or felt the urge to stop myself and slow down. What’s insightful to me is how only two months into 2026, I am paying SO MUCH MORE attention to all of the places that I have been hurrying for decades!

I’ve also realized that so much is involved with living slowly. There are the most obvious things, like physically slowing down the things you do, moving at an even pace, taking your time, and single-tasking. However, I am starting to notice even deeper benefits, and a lot of that involves three things:

(1) Boundaries: When you start to slow your natural responses to situations, you realize that you haven’t always been effective at creating healthy boundaries to help you live a more peaceful life. But once you start, it’s like you get on a roll. Nothing can stop you now!

(2) Transformation: The Bible calls this sanctification, and please hear me– I’m not acting like I have arrived. Indeed, quite the opposite is true. But slowing down has shown me lots of faulty thinking and behaviors. It’s giving me a chance to rethink, reframe, and revisit actions and attitudes by submitting my failures to God and offering him a chance to change me, hopefully into more of his likeness.

(3) Self-care: Somewhat related to boundaries is the payoff of incredible self-care practices. Slowing down is an act of love. It’s an act of presence. It’s an act of renewal. It’s an act of connection. It’s an act of rest. It’s an act of resistance. It’s an act of permission. It’s an act of staying in the current moment and not hurrying to plan or prepare for the next.

As this year goes on, I will keep adding to my notes each month, not only in hopes of a continued practice of calling out the places I can choose to slow down, but also with the benefit of knowing that there is a new way of existing. One in which God is offering me a better way.