Taking It Slow
I took the weekend off.
Like, entirely off.
I didn’t check email once.
Or social media.
I didn’t make a to-do list for the week to come.
What I did do was sit on the front steps and eat a popsicle.
And hang out with Justin while he watched a soccer final he was pumped about.
And soak in some of the glorious sunshine and bluebird skies that the spring brought with it.
I ate pancakes.
I read a book.
I talked to a faraway friend on the phone.
I had a long overdue on-purpose date night and reveled in some great conversation with my favorite person.
Here’s the thing…
By nature, I’m someone inclined to hurry.
I’m going to go ahead and blame my Philly roots, but I tend to do things fast.
I walk fast.
I talk fast.
I think fast.
And while there’s an argument that there is certainly a time and place for fast, I will tell you, it has not always served me well.
Learning to slow down has been one of the great game-changers of my life.
Sometimes that looks like a weekend off.
More often, it looks like pausing in the midst of my day-to-day hustle and bustle.
Asking myself if urgency is really the best way to approach whatever’s at hand.
If urgency and hurry are actually necessary.
If they are actually helpful.
As you may have guessed, the answer is usually no.
I’ve recently adopted a mantra that I’m working to integrate into the way I approach my days:
There is always enough time for everything that matters, but no time at all for anything that doesn’t.
Pausing to decide is an option that is available to me in every single moment of every single day.
I can stop the hamster wheel and get off any time I’d like.
Have I held to this perfectly every day?
Nope.
Of course not.
I’m utterly human.
But it’s helping me slow down my minutes.
Which slows down my hours.
It’s helping me make more intentional choices.
Remembering that there is plenty of time to take good care of myself and my relationships as well as do the work that makes my living and brings meaning to my life is powerful stuff.
Remembering that I don’t have time for pretending, performing, people pleasing, mindlessly scrolling, saying yes because I’m too chicken to say no, letting fear drive my choices, or doing anything else out of default conditioning or because I didn’t bother to pay attention might be even more powerful.
What matters to you?
What doesn’t?
Can you begin practicing to pause again and again and again to check in with yourself?
To slow down and remove the urgency and hurry wherever possible?
Stay curious with this.
There will be days when our plates are full and we’ll need to stay on top of things to get done what needs doing.
That’s part of life for most of us and that's okay.
But we don’t have to do it in a state of frenetic anxiety if we don’t want to.
Pausing to take a breath and look for the ease to be found within our efforts, the spaces in the in-betweens where we can find some peace and some groundedness is always available to us.
Let’s work on this together.
June is here and with it these long summer days that invite movement and exploration and growth.Let’s commit to removing as much frenetic urgency from our minutes, hours, and days as we can.
Curiosity, attention, and remembering to pause are our keys.
Stay curious out there, my friend.
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P.S. Season 1 of The Say The Word Podcast wrapped up on Saturday and I’m so excited that it’s been so well received— THANK YOUfor all of your love and support on this project! It’s been SUCH a delight to create.
I’m in the process of creating Season 2 now and I’m actively looking for those quotes and favorite passages from you guys to include at the end of each episode! Pleeeeeease send yours along!!!
Season 2 debuts on Saturday, July 3, so make sure you’ve subscribed on your favorite podcast platform or signed up for email notifications here so you don’t miss it!