A Bit Slower

I have my own saying, “the pace at which you fold your laundry is the pace you should be living your life.” No one else says it yet, I’m still waiting for it to catch on. 

With computers, we can communicate with someone across the world instantaneously. We can ask a question and get answers within seconds. Computers help us get things done with ease and speed, but I personally think it sets our expectations for ourselves too high. There’s no reason to rest, or slow down. The only thing that holds the process up is us. 

Have you ever pulled weeds? Or washed your car in the driveway? Do you knit, or draw, or journal? How fast is that for you? Admittedly, the main point of machines is to help us speed up things because we take so long. However, we’ve gone from “faster” to "instantaneous" and it’s become our standard way of life. It’s good to remember that humans don’t move that fast. 

I don’t love that when I talk about slowing down and being intentional, what comes to a lot of people’s minds is some sort of yoga retreat with meditation and a bubbling fountain somewhere. What I really mean is this: you were never meant to move at the speed of a computer, and that is beautiful. We were meant to fold laundry, pull weeds, walk, notice, and most importantly: process. When we slow down there’s this other part of our brains that wakes up and starts organizing our inner world. I read that somewhere once, but mostly I’ve experienced it. When you’re always on to the next thing, you don’t give yourself space in your head to regulate. I’m sure there’s super cool, sound science behind that and if you’re interested, by all means, go see! 

My song today is coincidentally a slower one: The Sun Shines On Its Own Time, by Roo Panes. Be gentle with yourself. I know we still have work emails and deadlines, but know that you are human and it’s a gift, not a weakness. Try to enjoy it.