Slow Down

You know you are going to fast through life when your rooms are very messy. You know you are going too fast through life when you are forgetting where something you just had in hand is. You know you are going too fast in life when sad news and good news make you feel the same. They say ‘speed kills’, but when you slow down it can hurt. For slowing down is really seeing and hearing life — even the warts of life.

The death of two friends this week slowed me down as far as doing other work like working in the garden. But in other ways it sped me up; there was more to do, people to talk and email to, and on and on. The more I did the more there was to do and the signs of going too fast, forgetfulness, messy room, insensitivity started to appear.

Also speeding through life is tiring. You need more sleep and are less awake. It is like plants and weeds that perennially grow spread everywhere. If they are weeds you pull them out. If they are plants you contain their growth.

Slowing down makes waking up more possible. When one slows down you can ‘smell the roses’, taste the food, feel for people. However, slowing down can hurt, especially in restoring feelings.

Tomorrow is a city-wide garden Blitz Day. People will be spreading out all over the city to work on gardens. The DMZ Community garden will participate. We hope to get a good start in preparing the garden. Garden work, by its nature, is a slowing down experience.

Speed up or slow down, the choice is ours.

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