Tuesday, May 26, 2009

In Praise of Slowness

I stumbled upon THIS BLOG today. A writer and parent from England discusses the idea of slowing down and living life more fully, rather than more…fastly, for lack of a better term. I’m all for it.

I’ve been living in a constant state of flux for about a year now, trying to decide where I’m going, what I’m doing, and why I'm doing it, and I think the concept of slowing down is exactly what I’m looking for. I’m seeking to get back to enjoying my life, not just my writing, but every aspect of my life, and I’m trying to figure out how to get more accomplished not by cramming even more into every minute of my day, but by actually doing less and doing it well.

Sounds nuts, right? I probably am, but since I’ve hit 40 I’ve increasingly come up against the question, Is this how it’s supposed to be? I find that the way our society runs has become less of a bemusement to me and more of an annoyance. I’m seeking reality [while still having time to live in my fantasy worlds of course] and I think the only way to find reality is to slow down and look for it more carefully.

What do you think? Is faster better? Do you wish you had more time to do things, or just less things to do?

3 comments:

Kristen Painter said...

Both - more time, less things. lol

Jen said...

I'm a big believer in cultivating the art of saying "no" (not always successful, but I've been trying to say "yes" less to things that drain me)

Also, you're in a tough spot for some more years because of the age of your kids -- half your life is spent on them (and they're darling and you're doing a great job, so I'm not saying to say NO to them)

Two Voices Publishing said...

I love saying No! In fact I've said it so often it was my son's first word. LOL.

The problem with No is that I do feel guilty afterward, and guilt leads to saying yes the next time around.