I need to slow down. People have been telling me that for years. I tend to move, think and speak pretty fast. I’m usually in a hurry. I form opinions and make decisions instantly. I say the first think that comes into my head. I don’t know if it’s nervous energy, an active mind, or too much caffeine, but I’m starting to think that speed may not be serving me very well.
It’s good to know that in an emergency I can – and do – act quickly. But emergencies, by definition, are not routine for most of us. Most of life is, if not predictable, at least manageable. By the nature of this physical reality we inhabit, things take time, and trying to rush them doesn’t always allow the best outcomes and often just screws them up.
Yesterday while bowling for the first time in probably 30 years, three people – and several gutter balls – told me I was “bowling too fast”. It took me a while – and some instruction – to understand what that even meant; how do you bowl “slower”? That’s not as obvious as it might sound, at least not to those of us who tend to operate in high gear. I mean, do you walk slower? Do you not raise the ball so high on the backstroke? Do you move in slow motion on the forward stroke? Do you not pull your fingers out of the holes right away? All of those?
But once I was able to get it and just slow down in general, things began to roll my way. I got a strike and a couple of spares and started having more fun. And I think I’m going to find that it applies to other areas of life as well – my work, my livelihood, my relationships.
So I’m going to slow down. It may not be easy at first, but over time, it will happen. I just wish I’d figured this out years ago. But then, it just wasn’t time.
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