The value in going slow

Slow.
Slowly.
Slowed down.
Unhurried.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about
the value in s-l-o-w-n-e-s-s.

Of how much life there really is.
In every thing.
Remarkable details that are only realized when we go slowly.

Hurry is a habit.
It rushes us through everything. Always trying to wrap one thing up to get to the next.
And in the absence of slowness, worlds are lost.

For a moment, think of the difference between a walk and a ride.
One allows for the spaciousness of our surroundings.
The other helps us arrive quickly, but the journey has been a bit of a blur.

While we feel enriched from our slow walk, a fast ride leaves us breathless and a bit empty.

Going slow provides intimate views of life.
We are met with unexpected moments of rapture.
It is deeply satisfying.

I know, I know—sometimes we need the ‘fly over.’ The 30K feet view to see where we’ve come from and where our dreams are leading us next.
But we never want to lose the slow. It provides the place to go deep into that which we love.
And we love much more than we know.

Going slow is a conscious choice.
A willingness to move our focus from ‘what’s next?’ to ‘what’s here?’.

‘I spent a lifetime in a garden one afternoon.’
~ Craig D. Lounsbrough

It’s an investment of time.
It’s alive, here and now.
And the result is that it makes us come alive.

* ‘I made an investment eleven years ago that is still growing.
It involved me sitting on my back porch, reading some soulful books, taking some quiet time, and writing in my journal.
Day after day, in every spare minute that I could find, I was there.
I let other things lapse. Didn’t return calls, didn’t do what was expected of me.’

In other words…I moved into the slow lane.

* This is an excerpt from an earlier post that you can read here.
Wanna share your thoughts on this? You can do so in the comments below.

Wall of Color
Watercolor on Fabriano Paper

Note: ‘Wall of Color’ is one we did in my creative monthly membership last month. Many folks don’t realize that when they join Flow, they get instant access to all past content along with 2 new paintings that come out each month. At this moment, there are 46 painting videos to paint along with. Learn more about Flow here.