Slow-Paced, Faith-Based Southern Living

Growing up, I loved New York City + the fast-paced lifestyle it carried with it. There was something comforting about the noise of it all, especially when things felt lonely. I liked knowing there were always people around me, and in a strange way, the crowd made me feel less alone even when I kind of was. So I always kind of assumed I was the type of girl who enjoyed city life… especially my life in California. And to some extent, I did.

But a trip to South Carolina changed my life in California as I know it. The more time I spent there, the more I realized there's a sort of facade to California that I've never quite been able to put my finger on until now. Everything feels a little too polished. It's stunning, yet underneath it all, it feels fake. Yet the minute you enter the South, it feels alive. It's a feeling you go everywhere looking to find. There's a warmth in the air, and a slow intentional energy that feels impossible to find in California.

I think a lot of this feeling stems from how life out there feels like the outdoors moves into the world around you. In South Carolina, it's woven into the rhythm of daily life. People take their boats or kayaks out on the lake in the mornings just because they can. They enjoy a picnic on the grass mid work day. They sit on porches in the evening and watch the sun go down without feeling like they need to be somewhere else (or maybe they just save time not sitting in traffic). They do family bonfires not as an activity they scheduled, but on a random Tuesday during the week. There's something so grounding about a place where the outside world isn't an escape from your life… it is your life. 

🌻 Airbnb in Lake Jocassee

But I think the biggest shift I saw out there was when we went for a night out on the town. In California, going out tends to feel like a chore. You get dressed up, you stand in line FOREVER, and you end up half dancing awkwardly or spending too much money on an awful experience. But the night we went line dancing (which is something I've never done before), I felt the difference immediately. It was just a room full of people simply having fun. Everyone was stumbling through steps, laughing at themselves (including Steven and me) and not a single person was looking to see who was watching them. I felt genuine community + happiness being at a bar for the first time in a long time.

And then of course most importantly there's the faith. I honestly think this might be what caught me most off guard. There’s beautiful churches on every corner and the chapel that I got engaged at…which is even more breathtaking + peaceful in person than in photos. In California, faith is something people tend to keep quietly to themselves, unless they truly feel compelled to share it. But in the South, it's present everywhere. People openly speak and center their lives around God, and you can feel it in the way they talk to each other, in the patience, the warmth, and in the way strangers treat you like neighbors. 

I think that’s what I’ve been searching for without realizing it. Not just a slower pace, but a place that actually reflects the life I've been trying to build on the inside. A life centered around faith, community, the small moments with the people you love, and the simple everyday experiences that somehow become the most memorable ones. I don't think it's just about the South... I think it's more about choosing an environment that caters to who you are…not that you cater to. 

From my heart,

Hanna