Living Life in the Slow Lane

Four years ago my 1992 breast cancer recurred to my bones, causing a fracture in my back that left me paraplegic.

For the past year, I've been largely confined to bed, with the Internet serving as one of my primary contacts with the world and as an outlet for my creative passions. Though my medical conditions represent a poverty of function, I have found unexpected gifts in my situation, not the least of which is a much slower pace of life that allows for mindfulness, gratitude and creative pursuits.

My exit from the fast track was a forced one, as I did not will my cancer to return with such effects, but I am happier now that I ever have been because of the gifts that come with simplifying one's lifestyle and focusing more deliberately on the important things in life -- family, balance, and wholeness.

In this context, I opened Sabbath, A Shop for Slower Times several months ago as a means of sharing my passion for slower times and all that it entails: stewardship of the global environment, nurture of local communities, and close-to-the-earth creative activity that nourishes the mind and spirit while replenishing the earth.

The shop offers stationery, art, clothing and other gifts that celebrate "slow" choices, including a "Know Slow" line, and two sections that relate to my creative passion for storytelling and gourd-crafting.

All of Sabbath's designs were created by me while confined to bed this past year, thanks to the loving efforts of my husband to rig up my computer so that I could access it from a prone position. Sabbath is still in its infancy and I will be adding many more items to it in coming months. I love to hear from my visitors, who can email me at NOSPAMsabbath_keeper@mac.com (Just remove NOSPAM before sending; I've had to attach that to thwart spammers.)

Holly Stevens, shopkeeper