more love, less hustle

Back in my Close at Hand post, I mentioned that I'm making my way through Shauna Neiquists' Savor as a devotional this year. The woman has countless golden nuggets of wisdom. I don't think she'll ever stop hitting me in the heart, challenging me, and making me really evaluate where I am in my life. Her way with words is impeccable and she has one of the most definitive and enjoyable voices in her writing.

Savor is her 365 day devotional, aimed at helping you live abundantly where you are, as you are. Each day she introduces new thoughts, philosophies on living, tips and tricks on how to manage our imperfect lives, and how to be ok with the fact that they are exactly that: messy, real, imperfect lives.

I have a quote note running on my phone to mark down all the lovely bits of literary wisdom that I pick up as I stumble through life. That note is positively brimming with wisdom from Shauna, but my most recent anthem that I owe to her pen is "more love, less hustle." It's so simple, but it hits me right at my heart, in that soft spot where I need it most.

Raise your hand if you've been caught up in the lie of the hustle. (Yep, me too.) In our modern, instagram-filled world, if you are hustling, you are synonymous with valuable. Hustle means value. Hustle means you're wanted. Hustle means you have a purpose.

But hustle doesn't always mean what you're hustling for is good. Less is more is a cliche for a reason. So thanks to Shauna and her way with words, I try to actively channel my time and my thoughts under that umbrella of more love, less hustle.

So tonight, as I snuggle in close with my roomie on our couch for some quality time, I'm grateful for the love in spite of the hustle. We'll talk, we'll laugh, and I'll probably cry a little because today was just so hard, but it is the love that gets me through. It is the love and the community that helps me find my value. It is the love that carries me over the rough patches, and it is love that makes the hustle less desireable, but more bearable.

And I know in this post I said I was trying to move beyond text, text, and more text on my walls, but at least I branched out with the medium, right? (get it? branched. #punlover)

Reap your own wisdom from Shauna's Savor. Get it here.