What Have I Missed?

My goal, day to day, is to gently remind myself to slow down, take in and process my life experiences. Seems reasonable to me, life is precious, and I certainly don’t want to miss anything, actually not one single thing. Slowing down is one of those things that sounds more simple than it actually is…wait, let me change my thoughts about that. I know that those slower steps, deeper breaths and moments of heightened awareness and insight while appearing to take up “too much time” actually gift me with more presence, and therefore more clarity and ease. Mmmmm, sounds lovely. Yet, when life begins to move more quickly around me, despite my mindful intentions, I find myself trying to catch up to the speed others are moving at.
I was recently at the airport, with plenty of time to catch my flight. Those around me seemed not as fortunate and were running to catch their plane, or walking so quickly their kids and suitcases were lagging seriously behind! Before I could even stop myself, there I was trying to keep up, doing this kind of skip, walk and throw a little jump in at the same time kind of move. I chuckled to myself at the absurdity of setting off my adrenaline over absolutely nothing. What was I doing?! I had plenty of time to get to my gate, but, the energy around me was encouraging me to speed up. Does that ever happen to you?
Arianna Huffington wrote a recent post referring to a conference she spoke at, Wisdom, 2.0. She applauded them for intentionally leaving time between each speaker, so that people could absorb, ponder, and possibly shift their thinking in some way. People attending the conference were given healthy snacks, yoga breaks and breathing room between events. She remarked how much she enjoyed participating in a conference that respected the needs of the attendees. Well, Arianna, I agree, let’s give ourselves even a smidge more transition time in between the moments of our lives. I don’t want to miss a thing!