This quote is attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. I have had it in front of me for many years but am finally starting to live it. Actually, I am not simply not increasing it’s speed, but intentionally decreasing it. Two and a half years of recovery and my life is starting to feel spacious, to have slowed down from a blur to living color. I just finished reading The Relentless Elimination of Hurry, by John Mark Comer https://www.audible.com/pd?asin=0593216245&source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=library_overflow which reinforced the need to physically slow down, to need less instead of more, which will eliminate the hurry we have programed into our DNA by the go-go, keep-up-with-the-Jones, social media driven world we all live in today. Yesterday, when my son got home from college, I was able to spend a long lunch with him without feeling like I should be doing something else. Even more than just time, I gave him my full attention, not once thinking about what else I needed to be doing. If felt great to just be with him, 100%. Later that afternoon, my daughter came skipping into my office smiling and wanting to TALLLLLKKKKKKKK. I turned away from writing this and joyfully gave her 100% of my attention for over an hour as she breathlessly talked about her day. It felt great to let go of what I was doing without feeling guilty and give her my full attention, to simply enjoy being with her. In another example of physically slowing down, on Wednesday, I drove the speed limit for over 1.5 hours. I don’t think I have ever done that before and know I haven’t done it without having some anxiety about all the people that were passing me and worrying about being late or wasting time. Instead, I got to enjoy the great weather and music with the top down on one of the last warm days of the year. Cars were passing me the whole time, which would have stressed me out before, but instead I felt my body decompressing. I love living this way.
What are you doing to slow down? To be present? To give your full attention to the ones you are with?
Have a great weekend,
Art