Can You Slow Down?

Posted by Robin Easton

Four Portals to Awareness:
This is part two of a four part series titled “Four Portals to Awareness”. Last week we explored why we need to Turn Off the Bombardment (click) and give our souls a break from cell phones, TVs, computers, iPods, newspapers, magazines and books and make a date with Stillness. This week we take a look at the need to Slow Down.

Part Two – Slow Down:
“We’re currently going so fast we’re like a race car driver without a windshield. Initially the rushing air may feel liberating, but our eyes water and blur and we can’t see where we’re going. All we can do is grip the wheel, hang on and pray we don’t crash. We’ve just entered “reaction mode.” We need to stop the speeding car, get out and calmly look at our map. Otherwise we’ll never know where we’re headed.”

"Don't slow down spirits, slow down life." ~ J.K. Rowling

In this fast paced world we have to make a conscious commitment to slow down. It’s easy to get caught up in the demands of the “human world” around us. I say “human world” because I’ve found nature to move at a slower, more balanced pace. Whereas we humans tend to move out of sink with the sun and moon, out of sink with the seasons and the natural cycles of our bodies. We squeeze ourselves into wristwatch time, calendar days and schedules for work, school and family life, survival.

Often we believe we have no choice but to hang onto the wheel of our speeding race car and hope things change. We feel we can’t catch our breath, let alone stop for a short break to remember who we are and what”s really important in life. Living in “reaction mode” doesn’t leave room to explore alternative and more creative ways of living. The speed and demands keep us constantly reacting to flying bullets like Super Man or Wonder Woman, until we can’t think straight or at all. I’d imagine that a whole nation living in “reaction mode” — not thinking clearly — would be easily controlled.

Frequently it’s a crisis that brings us to our knees and forces us to slow down and awaken. I’ve done this. At one point in my life I grossly over extended myself by returning the dozens of phone calls and hundreds of emails that came in everyday. I worked from 7:00 am to midnight…seven days a week just too keep up with it. I still get this same incoming volume, but one day I simply said, “No more” and started to slow down. And yes, some people were upset with me for not doing things in the time frame they thought I should, but I now have peace of mind and health of body. It’s far better to slow down before a crisis hits. The time we spend recovering from a crisis could’ have been spent taking a break and enjoying life. The trick is to put on the brakes before our race car crashes. There are enough things in life that we don’t have control over. So we need to take charge of the situations over which we do have control.

Nowadays I take time to slow down, even if it’s short breaks throughout the day, time spent in my garden or hiking. The world either waits or goes on without me. The amazing thing is that most people wait. My sweetheart once said to me, “Teach people to slow down.” “What do you mean,” I asked. He said, “Decide what it is you need and stick to it. It will help others better understand your boundaries and invite them to also slow down. You don’t have to make yourself constantly or instantly available.” His words liberated me. I found myself walking around the house thinking, “Wow, this is MY life, MINE, not someone elses. This is my precious time here on Earth. How do I want to live it?”

Some of us have
been traveling at great speed for years and may feel lost when we start to slow down. We must be patient, as it may take awhile for our souls to realize we’re going to let them experience peace. For many people slowing down can bring up a lot of emotions that haven’t been expressed for a long time, if ever. Next week we will encourage each other to “Experience Emotions”.

Is it hard for you to slow down? If so, do you know why? What do you do to slow down?

Love,
Robin

Related Links:
The Deep River Within – Author Abby Seixas
Stop the Bombardment – Robin Easton – Naked in Eden
Racing to the Finish Line – The Buddhist Conservative
Slow Down Now – The International Institute of Not Doing Much
In Praise of Slowness – By author Carl Honor

This Site: © Robin Easton
Website:
http://www.nakedineden.com
Blog:
http://nakedineden.com/nakedinedenblog/



Related Posts:

  1. Dare to Take Risks
  2. Turn Off the Bombardment
  3. What Are You Waiting For…Perfection?
  4. Have You Claimed Yourself?
  5. Nature – Our Internal GPS

41 Comments so far...

Alexander M Zoltai Says:

19 August 2009 at 8:51 am.

First, I want to say I’m ever so happy you’re blogging again!!!

Slow down? I pray…

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Tammy-Cricket Says:

19 August 2009 at 9:29 am.

Dear Robin,

“Wow, this is my life” does sum of the entire post. So many of us have gotten lost in the world of taking care of everyone else, and not ourselves. We DO each day, all day, and many of us do crash. I was one of those that almost couldn’t put on her brakes. I did…finally.

You have met Marcel, my neighbor. He has no TV, no phone except one that I force him to take with him when he is out walking, etc. He doesn’t even own a computer except for the one that I let him borrow. Even then, he has to use my wireless signal to communicate. He has lived this way his entire life. I notice that he never misses a day without sitting on his front porch. Sometimes for hours. He gives total appreciation to meditation. I bring him up because of his age, 94. I want to someday be just like him. Alive, healthy mind, and never looking back with regret that he didn’t live life for him and not just for everyone else.

My mom has recently told me that she doesn’t know me anymore. That was chilling because she said this in a not so pleasant way. She almost described me as becoming more a more selfish person. For so long all those around me watched me give and give. When I did stop and do a U-turn, many don’t understand. My mom and I have always been very close. Somewhere along the way I let her, along with many others, gain control of me…my “TIME.” It wasn’t until recently that truly connected that “TIME” and “LIFE” are one in the same.

When we decide to make changes, it can be difficult. I never thought those around me would not understand the “why” of it all. My children are elated. They see me as happy. They enjoy watching me pick up new challenges. My life needs that. My younger me is surfacing again. I almost feel as if I were a child again.

I was reading something that Mark Easton wrote the other day. He mentioned spending time floating. He floated in a mesh chair with two cup holders. How simple is that? So many adults let go of their inner child and miss these moments.

Reading this today is just what my heart needed. A reassurance of where I am and that I’m not alone. I really hope you will continue sharing with the world, your journey. I take comfort in being here.

When you do leave us behind, don’t worry because we will be waiting on you when you get back.

Love you Robin,

Tammy

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Julie Says:

19 August 2009 at 10:27 am.

Your husband is a very wise man.

Robin, you’re so right in everything you say here. The effects of a speeding lifestyle reach much farther than we realize. As you have found, my own experiences show me how valuable is “down time.”

Another option to managing our many interests is to look at our interests as if they’re books in a library or meals on a menu. Instead of trying to read all the books in a day or eat all the meals at once, what about reading and eating different things each day?

Another though comes to mind: I wonder about our children who are subjected to myriad activities, hopping from after-school events, to lessons, to homework, to more events, racing and running, every day, day after day… This kind of pace is unbalanced. When do they have time for themselves, time to just be with themselves? How will they even learn to know who they are if they don’t have enough time to go inward and reflect? Always “doing” denies us the time to “be.” How will our children learn to use their imaginations and creativity if they aren’t afforded those beautiful unstructured periods of quiet play time or reflective moments?

Just as with everything else, gaining freedom from madcap racing is a matter of exercising our power of choice. As adults, we would be wise to ask what is it we’re willing to believe we’ve enjoyed sufficiently. …what it is that we’re willing to exchange for the next delicious activity to experience. And then be sure our children have the same opportunities.

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Eugene Says:

19 August 2009 at 10:55 am.

Hi Robin. I have to admit I have done both and still do the fast mode now and then. I seem to gravitate back to a slower pace and attempt to contain the monkey mind and the madness that comes with it. Lots of striving going on “out” there.

I have found I “need” very little at a core level.

Cheers,
Eugene

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Lisleman Says:

19 August 2009 at 12:06 pm.

I agree with the “teaching others to slow down” advice. Your connections need to know and understand your pace. Good advice.

Many years ago my wife and I attended a short talk that touched on this subject. The speaker (Dr. I recall) explained how different people react to stress. Some (my wife tends to be) enjoy the rush, the adrenaline rush. These people will subconsciously try to pack-in as many things to do before a deadline. Example, clean the kitchen before we leave for the movie. It can drive other people crazy.

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Plastic Mancunian Says:

19 August 2009 at 12:41 pm.

Hi Robin,

AHA!!!! SUCCESS!!!

I posted something very similar in June (sorry for plugging one of my blog posts again: http://plasmanc.blogspot.com/2009/06/importance-of-being-lazy.html).

I had a moment when I was so busy at work that I said “ENOUGH”, drove home like a man possessed and wrote a post without stopping to pause. I was so annoyed because the pressure of life was immense and I wanted to simply be idle, do absolutely nothing and escape into my own little world.

My new philosophy is that you have to escape the rat race and simply relax. I referred to being lazy but to be honest it gives me time to contemplate life and allow myself to surf through my vivid and weird imagination (boy is it weird). There is nothing more enjoyable than doing just that.

I don’t know who dictated that my life should be like a race, with every human being belting along at 300mph. They are faceless people who sit up there on their high horses pontificating about achievement and drive when the only thing they are doing is driving us into the dirt. I called them “agitators” in my post – I don’t know if that’s the right word but they do exist.

I have decided to embrace laziness as a result and my life, though still sometimes busy and hectic, is getting better.

I failed miserably at the last portal of awareness but I am marching alongside you on this one, Robin, with my head held high shouting “Be lazy! Slow down! Life is too short! Embrace every second! Don’t let the agitators win!”

Now then, where’s that lovely comfortable chair?

:0)

Cheers

PM

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MooMooAchoo Says:

19 August 2009 at 12:47 pm.

Another great tip from master robin! You are so right!

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Lance Says:

19 August 2009 at 2:31 pm.

Hi Robin,
I sit here reading this…and I so completely agree…

And then I think…what am I doing? And the honest answer is…(not what I want to hear).

ouch.

This line especially jumped out at me today: “This is my precious time here on Earth. How do I want to live it?”

Am I living the life I want? Is what I’m doing the best I can be doing? And not in terms of how much I’m doing, so much as what I’m doing (and to a greater extent – BEing). This whole post is so difficult for me. On the one hand, I agree completely with it all. ON the other, it’s not what I always live. What does that say? Do I have some conflicts to work out? What am I putting off doing (or maybe BEing) because I’m “busy” with everything else? And is that why I’m so “busy”, because I don’t want to face these deeper truths?

Well, Robin, you can probably see you’ve stirred up a bunch of questions for me – questions I think only I can answer. This space you’ve created and continue to nurture feels like safe ground, a place to be open. Maybe I just have to get out and BE… In fact, I’m on my way right now…maybe it will lead to some answers…

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Walter Says:

19 August 2009 at 3:07 pm.

For 21 years I lived to work, and worked to live, 10 to 12hr workdays were not only normal, they were mandatory. What good did it do me? Half of my friends and kin folks I no longer know where they are. Life in the fast lane is not good, I watched my co workers die one by one; till I could not take it anymore. Never push yourself to the brink, invest in your friendships, take time to enjoy the beauty and miracle of life!

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Abby Seixas Says:

19 August 2009 at 5:12 pm.

This is lovely, Robin, and so true and so kindred to what I’m teaching in “Finding the Deep River Within.” I’d love your readers to know about my work and my book; at the center of the diagram that represents the Deep River process are 2 words: SLOW DOWN…because we can’t drop down to the deeper places within us that can bring renewal and wisdom, when we’re traveling through life at warp-speed! Thanks for the reminder and the encouragement to put the brakes on (without waiting for a crisis to force us to!)
From May Sarton: “The most valuable thing we can do for the psyche, occasionally, is to let it rest, wander, live in the changing light of a room, not try to be or do anything whatever.” Amen. http://tinyurl.com/n3kura

NOTE TO READERS – Form Robin: Here is a link to Abby’s website where you can read about her beautiful book and her work: http://www.deepriverwithin.com

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Wilma Ham Says:

19 August 2009 at 7:05 pm.

Once there was a time that I felt important when I was rushing, like judge me on the amount of activity I do. My greatness was measurable that way.
Nonsense of course, my greatness is within and not measurable by things I have or do, but it is measured by the love that I harvest.
Love is not harvested by rushing. Since then I stopped rushing and when I still feel the inclination to do more out of fear or feelings of scarcity, I go back to being love in action which means taking the time to love what I do and then rushing becomes impossible.
I slowed down to look at your wonderful photos.

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Liara Covert Says:

19 August 2009 at 7:12 pm.

Every experience is a valuable teacher. Some people create a sense of crisis in order to draw attention to what is not working or which behaviour does not resonate with their inner self. As you point out, one can recall what it means to just be, rediscover serenity, without necessarily triggering a crisis. Every situation unfolds for reasons invited by the participants even if they are consciously unaware of the reason for their apparent role in a play. As Shakespeare says, “All the world is a stage. And the men and women are merely players.”

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earthmother Says:

19 August 2009 at 7:59 pm.

Such a wise and wonderful sweetheart you have.

No problem slowing down here. I need periods of star gazing and contemplating my navel or I get reeeeally off-kilter. I make time daily for long walks in the woods. This summer, a new favorite pastime: sitting and watching my garden grow. I highly recommend it!

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Tara S. Dickherber, M.Ed, CPC Says:

19 August 2009 at 8:23 pm.

I love slow time. Some of my favorite time each day is just sitting on the kitchen floor with my daughter in my lap. She asks to do that, in her little toddler way, every day. Disconnect to reconnect…

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Kit Says:

19 August 2009 at 9:35 pm.

Seeing myself as Wonder Woman dodging the flying bullets made me laugh, because in a way it’s SO TRUE! LOL! That’s a great analogy.

You ask if we find it hard to slow down. Actually, I don’t- it is more a struggle for me to “keep up”. I have made an effort in my life to be more productive, more organized. . . I still have a lot of areas that I’d like to improve upon but I have come a long way. It feels funny to be admitting this because usually, like you, I am reminding people to slow down and be in the moment.

Sometimes the very best way to serve others is in fact to slow down and enjoy the moment with them. . . especially for kids!

I have written a number of things and scrapped them, because what I say either rambles on or doesn’t ring true to what I’m actually living. I deeply understand and embrace the value of slowing down and appreciating the moment, of setting boundaries and tending the Self. I can write and write about why it’s important, and ways to do it, and how it can improve quality of life so much. I don’t really think I am living this advice though- or rather, I haven’t embraced it fully with my actions, even while I happily pay it lip service and encourage others to take that path.

Which leads me to the question, why?? And why don’t I feel guilty about this inconsistency? I don’t know. I’ll have to think on it.

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Kit Says:

19 August 2009 at 9:41 pm.

P.S.- lovely Bird of Birds in the Meadow has a GREAT quote about this:

“. . .being in a hurry to get anywhere is just a great big waste of NOW.”

(from her post Everything But What I Wanted)
http://www.thebirdsinthemeadow.com/2009/07/everything-but-what-i-wanted/

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Dragos Roua Says:

20 August 2009 at 2:27 am.

Thanks for a fantastic post, Robin. I’m starting to slow down – in fact, I started this more than a year ago, by selling my online publishing company and focusing only on the personal development blog – and I’m telling you it’s not easy. But I won’t quit on this one, I’ll just take it easier :-)

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Chrissy Says:

20 August 2009 at 4:09 am.

Is it hard for you to slow down? Yes
If so, do you know why?
No …I start off slowly and then I think this thing calls momentum sneaks even when I am doing things for fun
What do you do to slow down?
Usually, I end up breathless with Andy looking at me saying “At what point are you going to actually listen to me and stop doing everything at that pace?” ;)
Honest answer!

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Diane C. Says:

20 August 2009 at 7:46 am.

I have no difficulty slowing down. My motto is “loving life in the slow lane.” Good thing I’m retired, hey? I am, however, surrounded by people who do not appear to enjoy stillness or silence. Yet, I’m fine with that, and I have no desire to try to change them. Perhaps when and if they tire of the bombardment or fast pace, they’ll try something different. I don’t need for others to hurry up and do things my way. I find that everything is perfect as it is right now.

I like what your sweetheart advised, “You don’t have to make yourself constantly or instantly available.” That is a lesson that took me a long time to learn, and it does feel liberating as you said. I’m enjoying your “Portals to Awareness” series.

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Vin - NaturalBias Says:

20 August 2009 at 9:41 am.

Great advice, Robin! I have a natural tendency to speed through life and find that I’m happiest when I make a point of slowing down by doing some tai chi or breathing exercises, or by simply letting myself be awed by nature. I’ve found that even just 5 minutes a day can make a significant difference in my overall mood and perspective.

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Evita Says:

20 August 2009 at 2:48 pm.

Robin, one thing I told myself very early in life is that I will not wait, need or have a crisis awaken me to something I became negligent of in my life, whether it be health, relationship, etc…

So yes, consciousness is the key and being aware of our own presence and how we spend our time…life is very valuable I think.

I know I have no problem slowing down….I enjoy relaxing experiences and working too much is no longer an option, and I hope to never make it one again. I worked very hard this past year (nothing crazy but more than usual) as I was working full-time, taking courses and writing on 3 sites, just to sort of sum it up. But now I am free, I have decided to create a different life and here I am enjoying it….

P.S. I thought I would let you know this past weekend we suspended our tv account for the next 3 months – that means we are now tv free. As I told you before, we only occasionally watch some nature shows or some pleasant funnies, so I do not miss a thing. I could so live like this if I had to :) It is very freeing and it makes you get creative with your spare time, b/c you don’t have the tv to instinctively fall back on :)

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Walter Says:

20 August 2009 at 4:39 pm.

Stop and Smell The Roses! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3a5vN4tUl4
As I was playing this song I read this commit from Mary Morgan (80) years young.
“My Mother wrote this song, she gave it away, she was in her 70′s martinmary555 catch my video” http://www.youtube.com/user/martinmary555 I think the singing “Morgan Sisters” were back in the 1950s. I don’t really know for sure, I was still pissing my pants back then.

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OneStonedCrow Says:

20 August 2009 at 11:26 pm.

yes … I only have a SU blog and a (mirror) blogger blog which takes up far too much of my time – I don’t get many emails so I don’t have a problem there … I wonder, with all this facebooking, tweeting, mailing,blogging etc., … where do people actually get time to LIVE their lives?

greetings from Namibia

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gene Says:

21 August 2009 at 3:04 am.

For me this fits in well with the previous post, for me turning of the bombardment gave me the opportunity to do more, but at a slower pace, it’s really strange waiting to go to work, usually I woke up had a few minutes to quickly watch a tv program, do some internet surfing, and go to work, no I sit here, taking my time reading your blog, no rush, and I still have time to go sit in the sun to WARM up :)

And yes, mother nature sure does take her time, especially with warming up a place :) But I accept it, and know that when it starts to get hot here again, I would want to speed things up again and pray for winter!! So I enjoy sitting in the sun now.. So nice!!

Keep well!! Can’t wait for 3rd installment!! :)

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OneStonedCrow Says:

21 August 2009 at 8:53 am.

Hey Robin,

Thanks so much for your positive and inspirational comments on my blog – you are the first person to comment on any of my posts – I was on the point of shutting it down but your words have given me the strength to carry on …

I have not yet looked at your website in depth but I will …

… and if you ever think of visiting Namibia (an amazing place) please feel free to contact me.

regards
graham

[Reply]

Robin Easton Says:

21 August 2009 at 10:22 am.

You guys & gals are just great. It is amazing how inspired I was by all your comments here. It reinforced for me several things. One of them being that most of us DO feel a deep need to slow down (that it’s not just me and then all the rest of the world is happy in their frenetic pace). :) Another insight I got from your comments was that we connect to our deepest soul when we take time to slow down. We connect to who we really are and that doing so is crucial to a healthy, abundant and joyful life. I also feel that slowing down is often not something that just happens on its own; it’s something that we have to ACTIVELY do. We have to put our foot down (on the brake) and stop. And there may not be a convenient time or a ‘break in the action” to do this. If we wait for a convent time to slow down it may never happen. I begin to suspect that we create “our own time”. I never felt that time exists, but rather that we shape and bend the “stuff” of life and it will mold to our needs. We are quite literally like potters molding clay. The clay with “give” where we push or shape it.

I am honored and blessed by your honesty, warmth, humor (Plastic Man! you always make me laugh out loud) and your openness of heart. You give far more than you may realize. It is HUGE and does NOT go unnoticed. Never. Thank you all.

Next post I hope to be able to respond to each comment. I had a lot of work that I was readying for my agent this week and ran behind in blogging. But then as my sweetheart says, “There is no running behind. There is only now and it is the perfect time, the only time.” Wise man.

Thank you, you beautiful souls,
Love,
Robin

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Michael C. Dewey Says:

21 August 2009 at 10:29 am.

Thank You Robin for pointing me back in the right direction. After your Bombardment blog I took a few days off. I had realized 15 or so years ago that all we really own is our time. I’m glad to no longer be a MSM News Junkie on cable; I don’t have the stations anymore. So I don’t hear the same news every 15 minutes over and over waiting to hear something different. I love this PC, and hope to meet some of the people I have connected with on it someday.

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Jonathan - Advanced Life Skills Says:

21 August 2009 at 1:26 pm.

This is an important message Robin. I thought of the saying, “speed kills.” Where are we going in such a hurry anyway. This point really stood out for me: “Living in “reaction mode” doesn’t leave room to explore alternative and more creative ways of living.” We can’t react and create at the same time, unless our goal is to create insanity.

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Dexter Says:

21 August 2009 at 1:55 pm.

Great post Robin. Many Blessings!

Dexter(QuoteGuy)

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ZuzannaM Says:

21 August 2009 at 4:32 pm.

♥ Dear Robin ♥

Thank you for the thought provoking article.
It certainly makes me pause and think what you have written.
Here is to you my reply in a poem form, hope you enjoy?

SLOW DOWN!

I should have known you sooner.
As my life was always on the run,
Not sure why was always running?
The demands were quite high.

Life pushed me to the brink
With all sorts of responsibilities
Family, work, home, cooking and more
Life, rollercoaster; do you need to know more?

Today looking back in amazement
In addition, thinking to myself,
Why I did that? My father use to say,
“Walk slow you will reach the destination soon.”

If I was to start my life again
I will look at things much different way
Yes, I would pace myself knowing
No need to hurry things has done anyway.

August 21 – 2009
By Zuzanna Musial

©2009 Zuzanna Musial

[Reply]

Roger Says:

21 August 2009 at 7:59 pm.

Hi Robin,

Your posts are always so inspiring and timely. Slowing down is a challenge in the modern world as the majority of the messages we receive tell us we need to do more. Why? Typically it is to benefit someone else and it is often the case that the motivation behind the messages has nothing to do with promoting our well being.

Learning to slow down, even for a few minutes is like installing a reset button that is always available to us. I have learned that doing this actually allows me to accomplish my tasks more efficiently since it can stop the tunnel vision that occurs when I am too focused.

Bless you for your willingness to share these messages. We all need reminders that there is something more important than the “race”. Thank you also for the friendly comments.

Namaste’
Roger

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Dorothy Stahlnecker Says:

22 August 2009 at 5:38 am.

I’m so glad I read your blog as it interacts with my thoughts and helps me center within everything I should know. As you say it’s so hard to put the brakes on. One thing more I’ve been wrestling with is who to say no to and how to deal with the effects of their reaction and the guilt feeling. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve built walls around me and now I have to take them down to feel what’s out there. And Robin I’m willing to open myself up to what I’ve missed all these years in order to survive my tense schedules and obligations. I’m convinced having cancer twice is a reflection of stress which compromises my immune system thus I’m full speed ahead so I feel, touch and enjoy life and all it’s serenity. Therefore I insure I can live to be a healthy 100.

So keep encouraging us, however make sure you take your own advice which is the biggest problem when we are such over achievers…..and I know you are a special person who has accomplished so much and have plans for much more.

Hugs..Dorothy from grammology
grammology.com

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Robb Says:

23 August 2009 at 1:04 pm.

Kia ora Wild Sister,
I struggle out here, either moving too fast or too slow to ever really feel as if I fit in or belong. When I am the mountains and my time is simply valued and operated by lightness or darkness, I feel I am home. Before I found my inner self in the mountains I would find myself sitting by a river just looking and fighting the temptation to move, do something else, sort out some gear, set up my tent, look at the map, as if I was guilty of something by just sitting there doing nothing but being together with the river in this moment. I don’t do that anymore. My mind might suggest I go get myself a cup of tea, and eventually I do, but that might be a few minutes or a few hours I don’t know. The only clock I have there is the beating of my heart. Rave on Wild Sister.
Aroha,
Robb

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Kit Says:

24 August 2009 at 12:22 pm.

P.S. Robin, I honored your blog in a recent award post over at my blog. Just so you are aware. :)

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Lynda Lehmann Says:

25 August 2009 at 8:34 am.

Life is nothing but a series of moments. If we don’t savor them, the future will never come. I am reminded of Krishnamurti who tells us that we squander our lives in the need to be constantly engaged and entertained.

When we were children, life had much more flavor and texture and moved more slowly, because we were IN the moment, not obsessed with obligations and goals or distracted by adult problems.

That’s why I love nature: it puts my whole Being into a more relaxed state and a wider perspective! Then I can see the universe….

Thanks for another wonderful life lesson, Robin!

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Stephen - Rat Race Trap Says:

25 August 2009 at 6:13 pm.

Robin, outstanding!

“Some of us have been traveling at great speed for years and may feel lost when we start to slow down. We must be patient, as it may take awhile for our souls to realize we’re going to let them experience peace. For many people slowing down can bring up a lot of emotions that haven’t been expressed for a long time, if ever.”

This is so very true. I still suffer at times with this lost feeling you describe, but not very often anymore. I’m getting much better at it and it feels soooo good!

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Lyn Collins Says:

26 August 2009 at 7:22 am.

Robin, your vision for living is inspiring. Thank you for sharing and reminding me to slow down and enjoy life. Lyn

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Steven Aitchison Says:

26 August 2009 at 1:49 pm.

Robin, this is a beautiful post and a very timely reminder for everyone to slow down. The explosion of information we have to process has been phenomenal over the last 2 decades and we think we have to take it all in at once and respond to it at once. I loved this post and it’s message.

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Mike Foster Says:

26 August 2009 at 11:16 pm.

This is one of the many reason why I dig what you are all about, Robin: if you can find time to slow it down and take in the scenery, someone as busy as you are, then why can’t I? I love this quote: “Wow, this is MY life, MINE, not someone elses. This is my precious time here on Earth. How do I want to live it?” I am always aware of how precious and precarious our time on earth is and never, ever want to waste a moment. The key: balance, between the hard work and and relaxing play.
Cute feet, by the way…

peace,
mike
livelife365

[Reply]

starflight/marcel lemieux Says:

28 August 2009 at 10:03 am.

I slowed down to read your article and every comments on this blog..wow!..There are so many reasons why we tend to run……sometimes i catch myself taking to myself saying .hey are you really looking at things…do you really see what there?..when i was a kid i was like speedy gonzalez you know, that mexican mice..i was all over the place..later i realized that to learn i had to stop somehow..gee that was hard..they could not keep me still on a school chair,later..traveling did wonders as it had awaken so many other senses that i had to listen and look another way…now today i sometimes find myself running for other reasons..life is getting shorter and i have so many things i din,t yet do and i love life so much…but again i manage to slow down and say, well be like the philosophy you like, be like the Tao..stay balance ..right now i,m writing this note and my back door is open ..i see the blue of the sky.the trees,my flowers boxes and the light wind making everything dance lightly and there ain,t any other sound except my fingers tapping on the key board..thank you for this lovely blog my friend…peace

[Reply]

soulMerlin Says:

31 August 2009 at 12:44 pm.

I’m so with you here Robin. I always think that Spirituality is in the detail and that I need time to look and study that detail…and to simply enjoy it.

xhenry

[Reply]

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