You Need To slow down

Caught covid not long ago, had to take a break for more than a week. All our business is online, education, entertainment, wisdom and health. All that had to come to a halt. Yet, I never found myself getting anxious or impatient about the situation or hating on the whole thing, although that’s understandable too. My point is that we often get opportunities to slow down, or we’re called to for whatever reason. If it’s not an illness, it’s a family matter or a loved one. It’s needing to be there for your son’s practice even if it means putting away that very important piece of work you need to finish. It’s spending quality time with your lover and not saying no I need just a few more hours to finish then I’ll make time for you. Whatever the reason, slowing down is a powerful and enriching experience, and we often ignore its value because of a productivity obsessed, work-more-sleep-less kind of world where we think doing more and doing it faster is better. Next thing you know, everything that you actually work for is taken for granted, like your family. You end up being absent, never present, drowning in your work-infested mind.

Our human civilization as a whole hasn’t yet fully grasped and embraced the value of pausing. It’s like we’re always breathing fast and running. We don’t yet know how to take deep breaths and tune in to the present, and to what actually matters in life. For some, or many really, work is the highest priority because that’s where they find their worth. It’s very common for men today especially, because of the kind of things we teach boys about being a man, basically work harder and harder. But you know, working hard is really that. It’s hard, it’s exhausting. It’s stiff, closed. Slowing down is working soft. Resting. Pausing, recollecting. It’s a rhythm that when perfectly understood creates a smooth flow. Masters of life know this rhythm. They dance it seamlessly. They lead a life of ease and gentleness. Sometimes so seamless and gentle you wouldn’t even notice them. They don’t scream it in your face. They don’t shout it on social media, exactly the opposite of those trapped in the work hard-sleep-less mentality. They try to justify their lifestyle by showing it off as much as possible to receive praise and envy for it, but often they’re struggling to keep up behind the scenes. The best life you can lead is a life where things seem natural, not forced, coming from love and joy and not the pressure to make it or appear successful or out of fear of losing what you have, because that kind of attitude will guarantee you will lose it all. There are times when life gets extra challenging, like being a parent, or going through some difficult situation, but that’s where you learn to let go of the idea that you have to do it all alone and make it alone. You again soften yourself and open up, to allow support to come your way. Working soft brings better results.

So for the sake of your wellness and for your most joyous life, practice the art of resting, and pausing. You’ll forever thank yourself, and the people around you will forever appreciate you for it.