The Slow Factor

Well hello chappies,

it's been a while. But you haven't missed anything, I can assure you. Things have been dull.

However in these down times I have learnt something wonderful...the power of slow.

Twice now, in the past four weeks, I have witnessed two separate freinds on two separate occasions meandering down the street. Now this meandering business is not something I tend to do. But I plan on doing more of it.

I usually walk at a cracking pace with places to go, things to do. Rush, rush, rush. Such a city girl.

The first time I witnessed a friend meandering, I was waiting for him in a pub. On my own. He had already received a text from me with subtext the likes of "why are you late you fucking cunt? You know I'm alone". Not long after I glimpse him out the window strolling along at his leisure...in fact going super slow, as though he weren't really going anywhere, as though he hadn't left his female friend waiting on her own in a fucking pub! Well, I thought, doesn't seem to care much does he? The cheek! But then I thought...that looks really nice. I suddenly became incredibly envious and felt all warm at the prospect of chilling out to such a degree.

Then, today, I saw another friend walking home slowly. Really slowly, despite the fact that it was freezing (another motivating factor for me to walk fast). He was holding his jacket tightly around him and seemed to be in dream land. He looked so happy.

Have you ever been over seas? Or travelled at all for that matter? You know how magic always seems to happen when you are away? Crazy adventures? Delightful experiences that just don't seem to happen at home? You always think that you will bring that spirit home with you but you just don't seem to be able to? You even tried to bottle it in a jar or make a cologne out of it? But when you got home, within a week you seemed to return to old patterns and everything was back to normal?

Why?

I reckon (after YEARS of trying) that I've finally sussed it out. It's because we slow down when we travel. In every way. We don't know where we are, where we're going, even who we are most of the time. There's rarely a need to rush and everything around us is so new that we just soak it up. We want to see every detail. We want to taste every moment. We want to kiss every - oh, never mind.

It is so divine! And as a result, so much cool stuff happens. Because we are available. We are present. We are able to receive what life has to offer in that place, at that time.

Then we come home and we think we know everything. We know who we are, where we fit in, how to get to A, B and C, which tram to catch, which beer to drink, which role to play...or we think we do. We completely destroy our opportunity to be excited and surprised by our home towns by sliding into routines. We so often fail to see what's really happening around us because we're rushing to the next place. I do anyway. Even when I'm walking my dog I find it hard to stroll as there's somewhere else I have to be. And he is older and slower now.

So here's what I'm going to do and I invite you to do it too: at some point this week, I'm going to walk out my door and keep going. I'm not going to know where I'm going, I may not even take any money. I'm definitley not taking my phone. I'm just going to stroll around and see where my feet take me. Or my nose. Or my eyes, ears, heart, whatever. And every day this week I am going to take at least ten minutes at some point in the day to chill the fuck right out. To slow down to a quarter of my speed. To just observe.

I always laugh more when I'm like this. My eyes are always open wider too. I feel like I inhabit myself and I am so happy. I have been there, several times, but frequently hurry along ahead of myself and forget.

Let me know how it goes...even if you already think you take things easy.

Favourite thing today: apart from slowing down...The Beat My Heart Skipped - a most wonderful French film. Such a breath of fresh air from the crap I've seen lately. It is just brilliant. I'm not going to review it because I have little else to say other than brilliant. Just see it. See it, see it, see it!!!!!