I’m Santiago Ochoa, and Notes from a Slower Life is where I write short essays about paying closer attention to an ordinary day.
I’m not a wellness coach, and I don’t have a five step plan for slowing down. I’m someone who, a few years back, noticed how much of my life was passing by half noticed, mornings I couldn’t remember, walks I took without seeing anything, meals eaten in front of a screen. So I started paying more attention, on purpose, to the small unremarkable parts of a day. That’s mostly what this journal is.
The essays here cover mornings, walking, the seasons, life at home, reading, small daily rituals, and unhurried food. None of it is advice exactly. It’s closer to a running record of what happens when you slow down enough to actually notice something.
Everything here is written by a real person, no ghost-written filler, no pretending a slower life is always pleasant or easy. If a piece is honest and true to how the day actually went, it’s doing its job.
You can reach me at [email protected].