Slow Down

As we move through our day, I find myself hustling us along more than necessary. Why I feel we always need to rush, I really do not know. Yes, sometimes we are running late… welcome to my world… but other times we have no where to be and I still tell my two little people to hurry up. I have started trying to pay attention to what my kids are doing to slow us down. Many times they are just plain ignoring me…a subject for another time, but other times they really are taking something else in. Usually, it is the world around us. I am easily in my own tunnel, hustling through my day, and I could walk right past a friend at Target and not even see you. My kids will see you, because amazingly they are watching the world around us. The world around us can be a really good moment to take in, if I were paying attention.

My son sees birds, butterflies, lizards, clouds, dogs and many other things I would miss if he did not stop me. My daughter takes in people, flowers, rainbows, kids, and she usually is more aware of what I am doing than I am sometimes. True. Either way, when I do stop, I enjoy what I take in. I can not lie, it is REALLY hard for me to slow down most times, and especially hard to stop for a few minutes and see what they are taking in. Why is it so hard? I think we have just increased our pace of life so much that we have made it so difficult, if not impossible, to slow down and take things in that are not what we think is important or productive. Enough already.

I still remember a sign that hung in my house growing up that said… Don’t hurry, don’t worry, and don’t forget to smell the flowers. That, my friend, should be hanging in my house today.

I know the more often I try to slow down, the better I have to get at it. Right? I am trying, and will continue to try, to NOT be the hustler of the group. I will try my best NOT to tell my little ones to hurry up, and I will include my husband in this, because I am sure I have told him to hurry up in more ways than one at times. As we go forward, it might be at a slower pace hopefully, in less we are late. So please do not tell us to hurry up, unless of course it is an emergency. 🙂

[blockquote size=”full” align=”left” byline=”Chrisina Hibbert, Psy. D.” rating=”0″]As we exit the speeding highway and opt for the slower, scenic route, we find a richness to life, we wonder how we’ve missed it all this time[/blockquote]

Enjoy today a little slower than yesterday,

Kelley