Slowing Down

Excerpt from Daily Cures, Wisdom for Healthy Living by Connie Mason Michaelis

In my mind, slowing down is a virtue worth pursuing.  We live in a culture that is addicted to speed.  Are you someone who hates waiting for the microwave oven?  One minute to boil water, and we’re pacing the kitchen floor.  News travels the world in microseconds.  We jet around the world in a few hours.  Sound waves are beamed to outer space and back in a heartbeat.  Even 50 years ago, these thoughts were science fiction material.   In contrast to our need for speed, a common piece of advice is, “You need to slow down.”  Whether it is your doctor, your pastor, or your family, we hear that going too fast is a detriment to health, relationships, and work effectiveness. 

The aging process naturally creates a slowing-down mechanism.  Should we resist it or embrace it?  I am constantly challenged in my work to slow down and focus on the person right in front of me.  Isn’t it irritating when you are talking to a person, and they’re looking over your shoulder at someone or something else? The great gift in life is to give or receive someone’s undivided time and attention.  When you slow down, you hear and see things that you might otherwise miss.  Are we afraid we’re going to run out of time?  Do we have misplaced priorities?  Don’t forget the parable of the Tortoise and the Hare.  The slow way was the fast way in the end.  When you slow down, you have the opportunity to learn something new.  I doubt that many aha moments come when you are racing around!  So perhaps we could practice slowing down. We could mimic our senior population.  Slowing down is a virtue.  Try giving someone in your life your undivided time and attention. 

“You can go slow. Allow your dreams and goals to change, but live an intentional life.” Kumail Nanjiani