A Slower Pace of Life
When in doubt, I wonder if we should default to slow rather than fast?
I've had to frequently remind myself lately to "go a little slower" in life. It's not because I'm going through a crisis or a health issue. We often encourage overworked or aging family members to adopt a slower pace of life. The reason I'm hoping to go slower in life is because I've discovered the wonderful value of doing so.
I have discovered that going slow contributes to maintaining a healthy mental and emotional state. It contributes to increased enjoyment of whatever I'm doing at the moment. It contributes to the building of relationships. It contributes to finding peace and being less worried and stressed. It contributes to being more present to other people. It contributes to better focus and concentration in my work. It contributes to being more aware of the presence of God in my life. I have discovered a whole host of benefits to going slow. And I desire more of it.
But it's challenging to go slow. We live in a fast-paced world. That's why I have to often remind myself about it. I've been trained for many years to go fast—and to go faster. Get things done as quickly as possible. Be efficient. Get results in the least amount of time and effort. There's certainly a place for speed and efficiency. I'm not here to critique the fast-paced lifestyle. I, myself, am always on the lookout for a good time-saving hack. But discernment is needed to know when it's the right time to go fast and when it's the right time to go slow. When in doubt, I wonder if we should default to slow rather than fast?
I have a few ideas on how I can help myself learn to enjoy a slower pace of life:
Write slower. I try to write five days a week. I tend to write fast so that I can get the task over with as quickly as possible. I'll probably enjoy the writing process more if I did it slowly and deliberately. The same goes for writing emails and other correspondence.
Walk slower. OK, maybe not "old man" slow. But maybe I don't also have to rush from point A to point B. As the proverb goes, I can enjoy the journey as much as the destination. As an example, perhaps I should consider parking my car further away from the mall entrance to help facilitate this.
Read slower. In particular, I can read Scripture slowly and deliberately to get as much insight as I can out of it.
Talk slower. This also means talking less and using less words. I should try to be more intentional with my conversations and public presentations.
Breathe slower. It's surprising how often we tend to hold our breath. I should take more time to just sit back, relax, and breathe deeply and fully.
Going slower in life is a hard practice to master. But hopefully some of these ideas can help you and I do it more so that we can experience the wonderful benefits of subscribing to a slower pace of life.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
