Slow down, be more present
Many of you are high school seniors about to graduate. Others are still in school. Perhaps the greater portion are no longer in school and are out in the world doing whatever it is you’ve found yourself pursuing. How many times do we find ourselves rushing from one moment to the next, from one small step or milestone to the next? I’d wager a guess many of us spend far too much of our time rushing from one thing to another.
Perhaps this time of year is a good time for reflection. While we don’t always have the luxury of time as we go about our business, perhaps we could try to take in each step along the way a little more, pausing as we can, if only for a few moments, to really take it all in – whether it’s the moments before walking across the stage to graduate, the experience of being handed your diploma, or simply pausing to enjoy a flower or some other item of interest along the way.
It might even be pausing to talk to someone you don’t usually interact with or reading or watching something new, even if it’s a snippet or short video. Perhaps it could be listening to an audiobook or new music while traveling to and from places.
It’s good not to be so busy living that we forget to live along the way. We can get caught up in our own little bubbles, and that’s not always a bad thing, but there’s a whole big world, including our community and beyond, out there, and a great many interesting people, places, events and activities we don’t even yet know to pursue, and they could be favorites we just haven’t met yet. If we run past every day, many possibilities may get lost in the blur as we whiz past.
So, I’m not going to tell you to relax – for some of you, that’s anxiety-inducing in and of itself, as it’s not always an easy task, but perhaps work on taking a few moments as you can to breathe and just really look around your community and the world and take it all in at least a little bit more. After all, if we are always running through everything, we risk all of it being a blur in the end. So, have that cup of coffee or tea with a friend, enjoy a sunrise or sunset and take a little time to enjoy the moments, big and small, along the way.
