Episode 119
Today’s guest wrote a lovely, inspiring book called Growing Slow: Lessons on Unhurrying Your Heart from an Accidental Farm Girl. I devoured this book. I experienced the blessed timing of reading this book right after the book from last week’s episode with Ginger Stache, Chasing Wonder: Small Steps Toward a Life of Big Adventure…and mamas, if I could recommend reading any two books back to back, it would be these two!
In Growing Slow, Jennifer addresses all kinds of issues mamas struggle with and provides so much encouragement for our insecure mama moments when we feel like we’re falling behind, or our kids are falling behind, when we’re struggling to find time for ourselves…and even big moments when we’re looking at our life and realizing this is NOT what we expected or planned.
In this conversation, Jennifer reminds us that all the little things are the mattering things. And that it’s okay to change. Along with lots of other lovely reminders that will fill your mama heart. Thanks for being here for this joyful conversation.
Jennifer’s Bio: Jennifer Dukes Lee lives on the fifth-generation Lee family farm in Iowa, where she and her husband are raising crops, pigs, and two beautiful humans. She writes books, loves queso, and enjoys singing too loudly to songs with great harmony. Once upon a time, she didn’t believe in Jesus; now he’s her CEO.
In this episode, Jennifer & I talk about:
- Jennifer’s accidental farm girl life
- Her writing process and what that looks like as a mom
- Creating habits that hold space for creativity
- Seasons of motherhood and work
- Realizing that she was tired of feeling like she was late to her own funeral
- How she could have more easily written a book called growing fast
- Being a high capacity person
- Thinking philosophically about life and what you want it to look like
- Our similar trips to the doctor where we were told we were “too stressed”
- Hurry sickness
- Counter cultural habits, thoughts, and actions that bring more happiness
- Asking for help and accepting help
- Seeing your days with fresh perspective
- “An unexpected life is not the same as a bad life”
- We can’t be summer girls all the time
- Moving forward with accepting an unexpected life
- Grieving lost dreams
- The first step in growing slow is…growing slow
- Growing while being a mom
- Feeling like we’re falling behind or that our kids are falling behind
- Tending to the things that know produce fruit
- How do we decide what falling behind is?
- Cultural messages about milestones and what our lives “should” look like
- There are no set milestones for life
- Choosing what is best for your family regardless of what the outside world says
- All the little things are the mattering things
- Change is usually God working in us
- Taking steps regardless of what people think as strength
- It is okay to change!
- Hearing from moms who come before us and can tell us their advice from hindsight
- Page 173 is a must read in Growing Slow
- There is beauty in your own backyard
- The slow food moment
Jennifer’s Links: Website, Instagram, and Facebook
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