I remember this story from my childhood and it's always good to have a reminder of it from time to time. It ties in beautifully to the way of our world currently.
The hare ridicules a slow-moving tortoise and challenges him to have a race. The hare thinks it's a shoo in because he is clearly fast enough to surely beat a tortoise! How arrogant!
The hare soon leaves the tortoise behind of course, and confident of winning, decides to take a nap midway through the race.
When he awakes, however, he finds that his competitor, crawling slowly and steadily, has arrived before him.
How often do you feel rushed to finishing a task? It's easy to do in the world we now live in where we can, with the click of a mouse, get all the information we need within moments.
Sometimes we think if we just go faster, things will get done faster. This isn't always the case.
Patience can literally become a virture as I occasionally find myself yelling at my computer because something isn't opening up fast enough.
I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling that there is always something that needs to be done everyday. It can feel overwhelming at times. It feels like a simple life has gone out the window with work, family, relationships, cooking, errands, housekeeping, laundry and on and on it goes. Not mentioning the fact that we need to get that minimum hour of daily exercise and take care of ourselves by eating healthy. No wonder we can feel rushed to get it all done. Whew! I'm exhausted just thinking about it.
What I have learnt though is, if I am rushed, I don't seem to get things done any faster. In fact, I end up making mistakes, dropping things because I become clumsier and I stress myself out for no reason. My body starts to feel tense and I get cranky.
I find what works for me is to continue the art of patience and presence. Stop, breathe and become present again by focusing on the task at hand.
Sure, go ahead and make your list of to do's. Of course there are things that need to be done. But take the time when you start your day to check in with how you feel. Learn to practice the art of going with the flow. What is it you feel like doing today?
What is the day like outside? Perhaps today, inside of spending my day inside, I will go out on the balcony and clean it so I can sit outside and enjoy the day. If it's raining outside, then I will do some work inside. If it's nice out, maybe I will go for a bike ride.
The weather in Calgary can be unpredictable so yes, sometimes, I will design my work chores and exercise around the weather because you know what? It could be raining tomorrow so I better enjoy the nice weather while I can. Or, maybe I could do an inside "chore" outside on the balcony when it's nice out.
The weather in Calgary can be unpredictable so yes, sometimes, I will design my work chores and exercise around the weather because you know what? It could be raining tomorrow so I better enjoy the nice weather while I can. Or, maybe I could do an inside "chore" outside on the balcony when it's nice out.
The point is to tap into that feminine energy of going with the flow. Step back, take a breath and notice how you feel before you go rushing into your day. Take a few minutes to prioritize your day and make your list. Then practice the art of going with the flow. Perhaps you will choose to do different things on your list than you had initially planned. That's okay. There is always tomorrow.
In some circumstances, we may need to move fast, yes. But given the choice, the slow and the steady sometimes wins "the race" in the end. Start paying attention to your own unique rhythms by practicing the art of slowing down. Choose to live your life by being more present and it will make a difference.
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