Slow down to enjoy

This is a sign to “slow down,” Dear One…

I was behind a car driving at a leisurely pace. I too was advancing in an ambling way, so their slow speed meant nothing more to me than being able to listen to my “Glow Slow” playlist for a bit longer. We approached a traffic line, both of us at the same gentle speed. Until the light turned yellow. Then, within an instant, the deliberate driver before me accelerated, pushed forward, and soared right through that amber light.

I watched, baffled for a moment, but then as I eased into my moment of pause at the red light, a thought arrived: I observe this all the time. Not just on the road, but in life.

When the signs appear instructing that it is time to delay our progress, even to take just a few moments in actual stillness, all too often we push that petal to the metal.

Rather than lingering, we launch.

Rather than decreasing our pace, we push. 

And rather than accepting the clear direction in front of us to “slow down,” we look that golden glow straight in the face, and we refuse to follow the sign. On the road, we would rather risk being pulled over than sit idle for a 30 second red light… we would rather break the law than stop. And in life, we risk illness, injury, and absenteeism throughout so many beautiful, everyday moments through the pull to progress, perform, and produce.

We would rather “go” than “slow.” At any and all costs, it has come to seem.

There are signs everywhere, but in our go go go pace of existence, it is all-too-common to miss them. Or to dismiss them. In our constant, non-stop progression forward.

Has our drive to “go” become so consuming that we ignore learned signals set before us? Taking action in literal opposite directions than the way the signs are designed to guide us? The signs and signals - both around and within us - that are in place not simply to maintain order but also to maintain safety. Our safety. Our protection. Our health and our wellness.

It’s time to slow down, Dear One.

Before I begin to write, I pray. I open to the will and light of God to shine through my words, I place my fingers on the keyboard, and I type. If you’ve been with me for a bit, you recognize that these words typically arrive gently. Guiding. Encouraging. Sharing perspective. But today, it’s time for a more direct bidding: Slow Down.

We cannot continue at this pace of functioning. Not if we ever desire to experience or enjoy the life that is around and within us. And it is here, right now, for each of us. We simply need to choose to do so. It is our choice. It is your choice. It always is.

And perhaps you don’t wish to hear this. It’s easier to push blame and accountability off of ourselves. Onto all of the external happenings of the world around us - jobs, responsibilities, activities, family members, economic movements, homes, meal plans, the weather… But it’s time to reclaim our power by remembering: we get to choose. No matter what happens around us, it is up to us to decide how to react. To decide how to regain our calm. And to decide how to proceed.

I’ve heard the phrase “burnout” more in the last month than ever before in my life. And I see you. It’s a LOT. This is a LOT. Life is a LOT. We can acknowledge that it’s a lot. We can even linger in the a lot-ness for awhile if we require. And then once we sufficiently see it and acknowledge it, we can choose how to proceed forward.

And today, I am here to tell you - not guide or suggest or pose for your consideration, but tell you - the way forward must be a slower way. We must decrease our pace to increase our peace. We must welcome spaciousness into our lives and into our beings. It can be done one moment at a time, and I will be writing more on this topic in the bustling weeks ahead. Specifically because - you can enjoy the holidays. You don’t need to anticipate and expect and psyche yourself up for a burned-out end of the year. You can experience joy, contentment, and even peace. It is available to you more deeply than a wooden sign for you to prop on your mantle. It is available for each and every one of us. And step one to accessing the enablers available to us is to Slow Down.

On the cusp of the holiday week, there is no better time to welcome this intention and pace into the days ahead. You likely have commitments, shopping lists, side dishes, guests, holiday photo shoots, and work assignments lingering. And that’s okay. You can continue to function, even achieve, at a slower pace. You can get done what is required at a slower pace. And you will experience more joy, more contentment, and more peace at a slower pace. Not all at once - mind you - so this will be a practice in patience. But patience is enabling. Just as a slower pace is enabling.

At least once during each yoga class I teach, I share with the class, “we’re not going to rush through our movements; we already know how to rush, and we’re quite practiced in it. Tonight, we’re going to practice going slow…”

Let’s open to the possibility of slowing down. Let’s let the idea of it lower our shoulders and loosen our jaw. Let’s allow the potential from a slower pace of existing to arrive for us. To bless us. And the next time you approach a yellow light, let’s agree together that we’re going to slow down. We’re going to welcome the signs to support us. And we’re going to take a moment to practice. We’re so good at rushing; quite practiced in it. It’s now time to direct our practice to slowing down.