slow down

I’m lovin’ this goal! And I’m doing really well with it. I still speed up, of course, but I’m becoming more adept at noticing and consciously slowing my pace and my breathing.

The best part is that I’m accomplishing at least as much now, if not more, as I was when I was zipping around like a chicken with my head cut off. Because I’m pacing my activity, I am able to function from sun up to sun down, which has effectively given me more time, not less.

Life is so much sweeter when I take the time to notice it.

I have just taken a bite of a sticky sweet dainty piece of baklava. I chewed it slowly, savoring the delicate deliciousness before swallowing. Just then, I noticed my hand dart toward the remaining pastry – eager to snatch it up and stuff another bite in my mouth. Luckily, I caught myself “rushing” this pleasure, so I stopped to write this little post instead. I think I can now stretch this five-bite treat over at least 20 minutes . Yay!

I don’t even remember formulating this goal in my head (yeah, right … slow down… ha!! who has time??) but here it is, on my list, so I MUST have had a reason. And strangely, unlike a lot of my other goals that feel arduous and even torturous sometimes, this one I picked right up with ease and comfort – and joy!! All day Friday, on my way to, in and on my home from Toronto, I was slow – slow eating, slow moving, slow to answer, slow to commit myself. Slow enough that I stopped myself before making an unwarranted apology (I do that a lot – say “sorry” when apology isn’t called for… lousy habit).

So, this slow down thing is great – I rarely accomplish as much as I want to do, even at full-speed-ahead, so I might as well move slowly, savour, gather, absorb, and whatever speed at which things happen will be fine with me. Yay. I highly recommend sl*ow to all you fellow speedsters.