Slowing Down

I've gotten into the habit of living life fast. I'm always in a hurry to get here or there, afraid of being late or wasting time or something. And, for the record, I am in favour of being on time and using time wisely. I think, though, that it becomes so much a habit that it's hard to slow down and I think it's important to slow down or life becomes too overwhelming and I stop sleeping properly and feel that I'm falling even further behind.....sort of like the past few weeks. At the very least I need to be in less of a hurry to get to places like the store or the library; there's no need to rush.

I know of 3 ways to slow down.
1. Get worn out and so exhausted that I couldn't rush even if I wanted to. This works but I don't recommend it! Not only is it bad for your health, it's also very discouraging and frustrating.

2. Consciously walk more slowly. I do that sometimes, usually when I'm on vacation and I realize that I'm walking very quickly (I-might-miss-the-bus speed) through a park. It takes some focus and reminders to myself to breath slowly and relax.

3. Borrow small children. That's what I did today; I had a 5-year old and a 3-year old come to play. I was able to relax and just play with them (happily ignoring the pile of research books shoved off to the side). Later we went for a walk with the skipping ropes and stopped to look at whatever caught their eye (they've never come to visit before so it was all new). It took 2 hours to walk to McDonalds (15 minutes alone when the lights are against me), eat lunch and walk back. Then we played more, cleaned up, and watched VeggieTales. They've gone home now but my mind is in "relax and slow down" mode.

It's funny: for me, having the kids is my time off to slow down and relax. For the parents, giving me the kids is their time off to slow down and relax! It's really a win-win situation.