You want to scan right through this blog, quickly, right? You’ve got deadlines to make; a zillion tasks to achieve; emails and posts to read and respond to; and a never-ending scurry of thoughts in your head driving you to try and catch up for lost time.
But maybe something attracted you with the title of this blog. Perhaps S…L…O…W… seems an unreachable destiny of yesteryear?
What if you were take just a few moments today to move out of fast and move into slow? What would that be like? Would you miss the buzz of being super busy? Would your brain not know what to do? Or maybe your body wouldn’t even recognize what being slow meant.
“ Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by
going too fast — you also miss the sense of where you are going
and why. “
Eddie Cantor
Ok, you are here and you are still scanning. Your time is precious. So let’s make this snappy. Let’s find some ways to get snail pace into your life and reap the rewards.
Some quick TIPS ON GETTING SLOW BACK:
Move your body in slow-motion. Go on try it. Walk to your next activity in slow-motion. Notice your feet touching the ground and how the metrics of your body work to help you to walk.
Look into your child’s eyes when they speak with you. Take that moment to connect with their essence, with their transition on earth as a little person here to learn and develop their best self.
Notice your grip on the steering wheel. Is it tight? Soften and allow yourself to be alert and able to really notice what is going on around you. Maybe you’ve never noticed some of the unique details of the scenery on the journey you have taken so many times before.
Breathe. Yes, you’ve heard this one before haven’t you? But what if you were able to breathe fully and evenly like a child does before the frenzy of life catches them up? Take a full breath in that is not hampered by the constriction of our worried minds and allows for a slow and complete exhale to remind our minds and bodies that letting go is an option.
Search out practices that help you to slow down just for a hobby if not a lifestyle at first. Maybe a yoga class or a Qi Gong class might be just the prompt your mind and body need to welcome a slow pace.
You have this day. This is the ONLY DAY GUARANTEED to you.
Don’t brandish the super busy motto.
Well at least not all day.
Embrace the value of SLOW in your life — notice what it means for creating ease in your body and mind; in the connection with significant others in your life; and in making this a day you allow moments of grace to enter your life.
Now doesn’t that beat hitting the pillow at night with a sense of exhaustion and perhaps unspoken regret about another day just ticked off alongside the tasks on your to-do list?
Originally published at medium.com