What are you doing to slow down?

It is an unusual question. Have you been asked this before? Have you considered it in your daily life? Most folks do not actively think about slowing down, and to do so is contrary to everything that has value. No one wants a slower car, and the microwave tells us all we need to know about our desire to slow down in the kitchen. How about those handy time saving devices- food processor, ice maker, ice crusher, blender, dishwasher, etc. The presence of these devices in our lives informs the casual observer of our “need for speed”. The unbridled desire to get things done faster is all in the name of giving us free time to spend as we choose, to loosen the reins on our lives so that we can carve out a niche (after work, prior to bedtime, following dinner, pre-TV part of our world) to spend some quality time with those around us and the world in general. Is that what we do? Is that what we enjoy? Is this speed bringing you closer to your dream life, to the happiness and joy in your living? If not, why?

In the last two years, Nancy and I have taken the slow lane in life. We are the folks who are headed up the big hill with our blinkers on, windows down, looking at the world as we cruise by slowly. We have changed our concept of time, and in so doing, of the quality of the time that we spend. In preparing to move, we looked at things we could live without, and discovered (as the microwave that was 15 years old died) that you can get by without a fully stocked modern kitchen full of appliances. To be sure, we still have some, but we have asked ourselves if they are truly necessary, or simply convenient. It is the same question we apply to any new (or new to us) purchase. Is it needed or wanted. In doing so, we have found that many things really are wants, and that the promised time savings that is provided is really fictional. Sure you save time grating the cheese in the food processor, but the time spent cleaning it up afterward consumes the time saved. What have you saved? What have you lost?

In the kitchen, part of the joy of our time together is talking as the meal is being prepared, discussing the ingredients cleaning up after each other and generally making it a communal event. The time is not saved by the microwave; it is savored over the stove. It allows us to immerse ourselves in the moments. To smell the meal as it comes together, to enjoy watching someone cook, and reveling in their presence. It allows us to show our love for another. We take joy in our meal, the preparation, consumption, and clean-up; the entire process, together, as a family.

Our lives slow down when we take time to look at the world around us, take time to see the world as it is, right now, in its full beauty. We could do things more expediently on our farm with a tractor, but there are times when the use of a pitchfork and wheelbarrow is more satisfying. The way the mist lays over the trees like a blanket, the manner in which it alters the smell of the earth, the sound of the seagulls, is difficult to perceive from the seat of a tractor. The rich smell of the loam as the manure pile is turned and moved, the sight of the worms, fungi, and beetles rummaging through the compost is missed as the front end loader dives for the next scoop. That time to connect with the senses, to connect with the world cannot be appreciated at Mach-1.

So, what are you doing to slow down?