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A peaceful life is not an aesthetic

Slow living is often paired with cottagecore and pastoral imagery, but it can be created anywhere. I live in midtown Manhattan, in a neighborhood called Hell’s Kitchen that’s about as gritty as it sounds. I’m not going to pretend that I don’t sometimes fantasize about living in a tiny cabin in the woods where I hear birds instead of sirens. Or where I look outside and see deer instead of taxi cabs. But I know that wherever I am, I can choose to swap my phone for a book. To turn off Netflix and listen to music instead. I can take my time preparing simple meals eaten, to enjoy my coffee while looking out the window instead of staring at a screen. I can say no to those evening plans and light a candle and journal instead. Peace is not an aesthetic, and a quiet life is about presence, not place.