I stayed out too late last night with dear friends.
Not a hurried feeling in the world; honest conversation and dreaming over appetizers and dessert. They live in California. I live in Nashville. I cherish every moment I can spend with them.
This morning, however, was a different scenario. California traffic lived up to its inconvenient name. Google Maps said my drive to the airport, with traffic, would be 35 minutes. So as anyone who has ever driven in California would do, I allotted an hour.
I was still about ten miles out (and crawling along the 55) when my safe “hour before departure” time passed. I looked in front of me. Nothing but brake lights. I looked to my left. The HOV lane was empty. The fine if I got caught? $340. The cost of me not being home on time? Hmmm. I’ll say more than that.
Swerving (illegally) over to the HOV lane, I sped along (illegally) praying the police were tied up somewhere else. I made it to my exit with five minutes until the final “30 minutes” window to check my bag was closed.
I didn’t refill the gas in my rental car and told the guys checking me in to just bill me what I was due as I dashed off. Running up the stairs to the terminal, I was sweaty when I arrived at the ticketing counter at exactly 8:21, 29 minutes before my plane was to depart.
The agent took mercy on me, and somehow finagled a plan that got me and my bag back to Nashville when I was expected to arrive.
Phew.
So here I sit on the plane, still sweaty, thankful I had my heart surgery because it probably would have exploded in my morning of rush.
And now, the pilot just came on the intercom and told us due to weather in Dallas, our take off has been delayed 90 minutes.
All that rush and now I’m stuck.
My mind instantly goes to how I’ll be bored for the next 90 minutes. How I wish I wouldn’t have hopped in the HOV lane. How I wish I would have filled up my rental car at $5 less a gallon than what I’ll be charged. How I wish I wouldn’t have skipped breakfast.
Why can’t life be more like last night? Slow. Peaceful. Fulfilling.
Legal…
Can it be?
All these thoughts hit me this morning in light of a book I’ve been reading this week called “In Praise of Slowness” by Carl Honore. (His name actually ends with an “e” with the little accent mark over it, but I have no idea how to make that on my iPhone…sorry, Carl, if you read this.)
Honore takes an objective look at how our culture has fallen into a “cult of speed” and while not advocating an overly-idealistic lifestyle of slowness or sloth, he does offer a way for readers to contextualize a more peaceful, slow, and healthy lifestyle any of us can make with some intentional changes.
I’ve never done a book study on my blog before, but I really believe this book has a message that can teach us all something.
Since blogging on my phone in an airplane is not the easiest thing in the world to accomplish, rather than beginning today, I thought we could start the study on Tuesday.
You don’t need the book to follow along, but I can’t recommend it enough. And Amazon has it for only $6 right now.
Pick up a copy if you can, and I really look forward to exploring some of Honore’s message with you.
Do you feel the need to slow down?
Comments
39 responses to “If You Feel Like You Need to Slow Down…”
In a word, YES.
I’ve actually been digging out a book on the spiritual disciplines, and reviewing the benefits of silence and solitude.
Spent some time in the late evening just walking around the block by myself. No iPod, no talking … just enjoying the quiet.
Found the whole experience quite refreshing.
More please!
.-= Dave Wilson´s last blog ..Has Stephen Altrogge discovered the secret to a deep spiritual life? =-.
I’m not much of a “have a full calendar” kind of person, so my business is not task-related. But I absolutely need to slow down, as we all do.
When God said “be still” I think he meant it. And, if I’m being honest, I rarely stop to be still. But when I do things around me become clearer. Going at a high rate all the time just blurs too much.
Looking forward to these posts…I’ll have to see if I have time to read the book. (kidding)
I’ve read this book, its fantastic! Glad to see you will be going through it. I look forward to the refresher on it.
I am two days away from ending a two week vacation and I find my inner motor already ramping up for SPEED.
That’s too funny, I was juust thinking that this morning! I usually get up with just enough time to get ready & mostly in a hurried manor, which starts my day off like the gun at a starting line. I’m…off! But this morning I thought, what if I woke up with enough time to actually have breakfast WITH my kids in the morning.. or my son didn’t have to put breakfast in a baggie & we just started our morning together? All too often I’m happier to get that last few minutes of sleep–but wouldn’t mind trying out slowing down a bit so I can fit in all the things I want to, instead of letting time define my day.
Thanks Anne :)
-Heather
I feel this need all the time. I wrote about it here: http://www.burnyourgraveclothes.com/2008/11/waitslow-down.html ….with some inspiration from Charlie Hall.
.-= @chriswhill´s last blog ..A Story of Trust =-.
Up here in Canada when winter comes we flood the back yard for our boys to play hockey on. I remember a few years ago we suddenly got hit with a -30 cold snap, so after supper I bundled up and went out to flood the back yard. It was one of the Holiest moments I ever experienced in my life.
Because of the cold snap everybody just stayed home and inside making the city dead quite. It was just me and what felt like the presence of God in the beautiful silence and stillness in the back yard. I cant really put words to it but it felt like being a kid in a house full of kids and getting one on one time with your Dad. It felt like he planned it.
I dont make time for stillness and quiet as much as I should because I struggle against being lazy and selfish, but I will always remember that.
I live in a very rural town (around 3500 people and we have no stop lights) but I still find myself hurrying around like a madman!
I definitely need to slow down more in my life!
.-= Kevin M.´s last blog ..A process for finding your churches full kingdom potential =-.
I realized this week that I definately need to relax. It is not like my life is so busy I just always worry about the time and obsessed to have the maximum amount of time to relax. I realized in the end it is not worth the worry and life is passing me by. I need to make the most of every opportunity whether I am working or not.
.-= Kamrie´s last blog ..Grace =-.
Definitely feeling this need lately. School is wrapping up, I have finals to organize, grades to enter, and summer to look forward to, but that’s the point, isn’t it? Looking forward, instead of realizing the HERE and NOW. May I suggest http://www.gratefulness.org/angels/default.cfm ? Gratefulness.org is a wonderful site set up by Br. David Steindl-Rast. Wonderful practices are included to guide those who wish into a slower state of mind, including the liturgy of the hours, or “angels of the hours” as he titles it…
.-= Greg´s last blog ..Peter Rollins: A Parable of Perception =-.
Anne, I bought the book today and started reading it immediately. I went into burnout a few years ago and took two whole years to really recover. Now, I see myself headed that way again. Fortunately, I now know the signs and have caught it early. I need this book and this discussion now. Thanks! I’ll be here next week. Lord willing! :)
I love that you’re doing this. I have felt so in tune with your journey this past year to slow down, unplug, and get more contemplative. I’ve always been a contemplative, slower-paced girl by nature, but I’ve been more intentional about honoring that in the past year or so.
I’m looking forward to learning with you in this study! Thanks, Anne.
.-= Christianne´s last blog ..When Did You Begin to Care about Nonviolence? =-.
My first thought: I need to read this book.
My second thought: I don’t have time to read this book.
My conclusion: Something is inherently wrong with my schedule.
.-= mandythompson´s last blog ..The Waiting: 3. Clomid =-.
:)
.-= Josh´s last blog ..Fridays Are [sometimes] For Music =-.
I hate being late, and I commute to work everyday in California traffic, so just reading this post makes me feel an urrrrrr feeling of stress! Yes, I need to slow down! Gonna go check out that book now….
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..The Good, The Bad, and The Bob =-.
Definitely! Looking forward to the study. I feel like I live my life in fast forward. I drove into work today like a bat out of Hades because I was running so late only to find myself in one of those “hurry up and wait” kind of situations.
For sure. Obviously God’s trying to tell me to slow down. I posted about unplugging and slowing down myself and I’ve now run across several others. I’ll definitely get the book and try to join you in the discussion. So hard to do something so counter-cultural – we’re brought up (at least I was) to be fast, get there first and do it all. Now, I’m trying to pull back and relearn how to do life slowly.
i so needed this today. every day is filled with a to-do list that gets longer by the minute. i needed a fresh reminder to slow down.
thank you!
and i cannot wait to read your new book when it comes out!!!
.-= melissa´s last blog ..Happy Friday… =-.
Anne, what a great post. I wish I had read it before yesterday. :) Yesterday, had to be at a meeting at a city three hours from my home. I left three hours before the meeting. Had to stop for gas. Got caught in traffic. Now running late–very late. Finally get there. Embarrassed for being so late. Sat down with my mind still racing from having raced to get there. All I needed to have done was to simply leave earlier. I would have had plenty of time to get there, stop for Starbucks, etc. Anyway– I connected with this post!
.-= Jim Martin´s last blog ..Ministry Inside.2 =-.
I moved to Colombia (South America) 2 years ago and realized the pace is much more relaxed here-and I live in a city of 8 million people! People tend to have an attitude that accomplishes things at such a peaceful level. When I first got here, I felt myself always rushing (I lived in the U.S. all my life and was accustomed to that pace). As I began to immerse myself in the culture I learned how to remain effective while slowing down. Peaceful and intentional living at its best!
“Slow me down, Lord” is my new phrase. Can’t wait for what you have to say. You’re always thinking of bigger and better things….thank you!
.-= Carol´s last blog ..Nurture Your Friendships =-.
I regularly try to slow down. As I get older, I pick and choose my commitments so that I can effectively balance time with family.
.-= Rick Apperson´s last blog ..5 Questions with Vernon Wells =-.
Thanks for the article, great topic. We moved out of Southern California to North Georgia two years ago; your comments brought back bittersweet (mostly bitter) memories of the joys of traveling the highways of the Golden State.
MARGINS by Swenson and THRILLED TO DEATH by Hart are good resources, too.
Looking forward to gaining some insight … and then adjustingand tweaking a few more things in my own life and schedule.
.-= Linda Stoll´s last blog ..Brooke Nicole Beggs =-.
MARGINS by Swenson and THRILLED TO DEATH by Hart are good resources, too.
Looking forward to gaining some insight … and then adjusting and tweaking a few more things in my own life and schedule.
.-= Linda Stoll´s last blog ..Brooke Nicole Beggs =-.
I wanna slow down. God wants me to slow down. My hubby wants me to slow down. So do my kids. And my cats. Only the hamster could care less. He’s locked up in a cage anyway. Maybe I am too.
.-= Lucy Ann Moll´s last blog ..I Wanna Be a Nudist =-.
I agree, its a great book (I lent it to my boss who’s read it so slowly he can’t find it; wonder if they have the same sale up here at amazon.ca). Honore has written another book called “Under Pressure” about how we “grownups” can take all the fun out of being a kid (or something to that effect, my wife just finished it, its next on my list). I’m sure its just as refreshing a read as In Praise of Slow was.
I see you mentioned “Under Pressure” already … ironic that I didn’t slow down enough to read through all the other comments (then again, I’m at the office right now and I’m supposed to be working).
As some body once said that, its better to be late than becoming late!
.-= Anshul Gupta´s last blog ..3 Tips for asking better questions =-.
Yes, slow down overall but kick it up in some other things!
Ok, Anne. I’m in. I’m not convinced its possible, but I will keep an open mind. Thanks for the push.
I’m in! I’ve actually been thinking a lot recently about how I’ve completely overwhelmed myself this last year with all of my to-do’s, which of course has left little time for me and my family. So, it will be refreshing read this and to go through the book with a group. I’m picking it up from the library on Monday. :)
.-= Lisa Ashby´s last blog ..Episode 27: The Cat is Out of the Bag =-.
Can I request for you to do a video blog post again soon? I really love those. :D
Hey Anne- in reference to your grammatical question- on the iPhone you just hold the “e” down and all those funny looking “e’s” pop up!
.-= Natalie´s last blog ..Hope… =-.