Beyond Hustle or Homestead: Living with Intentional Rhythm
Long before we moved to Colorado…
Before “slow living” had a hashtag…
Before anyone was talking about homesteading or romanticizing sourdough and simplicity...
We were already choosing a different pace.
We didn’t make a dramatic exit from a chaotic life—we just took the next step in a journey we’d already been walking. From the early years of parenting, we were making intentional choices—not only about what to say no to, but also what to say a firm, joy-filled yes to.
We said no to filling our calendar with every available activity—but we said yes to family camping trips, character-building outdoor adventures, and deep involvement in the arts.
We chose one sport per child—not to limit them, but to allow space for focus, family time, and rest.
We prioritized family dinner—but also filled our evenings with music rehearsals, theater productions, and shared creative pursuits.
I was baking bread and crocheting—what is now called “granny hobbies”—long before I was a grandmother. Not to live out an aesthetic, but to cultivate a life that made room for beauty, connection, and meaning.
So when we moved to the rural Colorado mountains almost 20 years ago, it wasn’t a radical shift—it was a continuation. A further alignment of our external environment with our internal values.
We weren’t running away from something.
We were leaning deeper into something that already mattered to us:
intentional rhythm.
(And just a note: Our choices were misunderstood, misperceived, and judged. Then AND Now. Some thought we were still too busy. Some thought we weren’t involved enough. We had to constantly remind ourselves whose we were and who we ultimately answer to.)
When Culture Swings to Extremes
It’s easy today to feel like you have to pick a side:
Hustle culture says you should be doing more, faster.
“Slow living” culture sometimes implies that if you’re busy at all, you’ve missed the mark.
But neither extreme is wise on its own.
And honestly, both can become idols—ways of trying to prove you’re living “right.”
What’s missing in that conversation is rhythm. Wisdom. Discernment.
Scripture doesn’t glorify hustle.
But it also doesn’t call us to disengage.
Instead, God gives us a model of rhythm:
Work and rest.
Engagement and retreat.
Urgency and stillness.
Jesus lived this way. He moved with holy purpose—but He also withdrew often to be with the Father. He wasn’t rushed. He also wasn’t passive.
Living with Rhythm, Not Reaction
We need to stop reacting to the world’s pace and start living from conviction.
Not all fast is bad. Not all slow is good.
The better question is: Does this pace serve love? Does it align with truth?
For our family, intentional pace has looked like:
Protecting family dinner and morning rhythms.
Choosing one activity per child and doing it well, and supporting one another as a family.
Prioritizing outdoor experiences that built character and memories.
Pursuing artistic endeavors together—music, drama, creativity—as a shared expression of worship and calling.
Learning to sprint when necessary—but never live in sprint mode (and this is never done perfectly).
It was never about checking out.
It was about showing up—on purpose.
A Better Way to Measure Pace
Here are the questions I still come back to, year after year:
What am I rushing through that I’ll wish I had savored?
What am I dragging out that’s actually avoidance?
What pace helps me love God and people better this week?
These aren’t time management hacks. They’re discipleship questions.
Because at the end of the day, pace isn’t about productivity.
It’s about presence.
A Life That Tastes Like What Matters
The truth is, we weren’t ahead of a trend—we were simply trying to be faithful.
And we’re still learning.
But if you’re in a season where everything feels urgent, where you’re caught between the lie that you should “do it all” and the pressure to disappear into minimalism, I want to gently offer this:
You don’t have to hustle harder.
You don’t have to unplug from everything.
You just need to walk in rhythm with the One who created time in the first place.
Make space for what matters.
Say yes on purpose.
Rest when needed.
Run when called.
And remember: this life really is sweet.
But only if you’re moving slowly enough—and wisely enough—to taste it.
Faith and Courage,
Lori
