Slow down, you’re moving too fast.

I’ve always done things fast.. Perhaps there are some OCD compulsions going on inside my brain, but basically I think it’s just the way I’m wired. Don’t get me wrong, I do a lot of navel gazing as well. I’m a couch potato and can sit for hours in front of the TV crocheting away, enjoy coffee and a long yarn with a friend or loll in bed reading. I just do whatever needs to get done before my downtime in a rush so I can chill in peace and not have to worry about work or chores. But lately, I’ve found out (or my body is telling me!) that I need to slow down.

I do everything fast. It’s not just me knowing it but others have also confirmed it. I tend to make decisions quickly and work fast. I like to keep meetings short and not have to dawdle over small talk. I’ve been told by people with much longer legs that my gait is huge for someone quite small in stature, and I usually outpace people much younger.

I also tend to eat very quickly. I discovered, on a date long ago, that I had almost finished with my steak while my date was only a quarter of a way through. I like to drive fast and had the best time of my life driving on the German autobahn at about 180kph because I would have been honked at for driving any slower. I really enjoyed zipping around town in my Mini but decided that I was too much of a speed demon behind the wheels of a powerful car. I now drive a more sedate SUV that refuses to zip no matter how I step on the accelerator!

I’m also a fast reader. I can go through a book in a day or two, which really burns a hole in my wallet. I used to take a stash of books with me on vacations but now only my Kindle needs to go in my carry on bag.

My mother also used to say that I could cook much more quickly than she did, although the fact that I was much younger than her had something to do with it. If I have to, I can generally whip up something from scratch like pasta within half an hour.

With impending age, however, I’ve felt the need to slow down. When I walk too quickly for too long, there will be twinges along my spine and down my legs. When I eat too fast, I tend to suffer more than twinges because my digestion system just isn’t very efficient anymore.

I’ve realized that it’s probably for my own good to dial back on how I attack everything I do like a demon. My latest hobby - crocheting - has forced me to do everything slowly and methodically. I’ve spent too many hours undoing stitches and starting all over again because I was in too much of a hurry. Not only do I have to keep track of stitches and rows I’ve made, but I’ve also had to work every stitch with the same tension and gauge.

You can't rush a good meal, or a glass of wine!

I do consciously try to pace myself when eating, so that I enjoy every morsel. I still cook fast, only because I want to get out of the hot kitchen and savor my meal!

I’ve realized that my balance isn’t quite it used to be and can sometimes trip over myself when walking. So I’ve also had to refrain from picking up the pace when walking, and keep an eye out for uneven surfaces and changes in the terrain.

I still read fast. It’s generally what I do in bed before going to sleep. If it’s a really interesting book, I’ll find myself glued to the pages and can read till the wee hours. Lately, a book called The Hidden Life of Trees has been sending me to sleep after just a couple of pages. Trees move slowly. Really slowly, like an inch or two every few years. So you can imagine the snail’s pace of the book is, and it has me dozing over it. It’s become my remedy for sleeplessness and I still haven’t finished it though I started reading it weeks ago.

After reading the lyrics of the Simon and Garfunkel song, I love how it applies to my life now. I only have deadlines to meet, work wise, once in a while, rather than every day. I can spread out my household chores and tackle a bit a day. If I feel sleepy after a heavy lunch, I don’t have to feel guilty about taking a short nap or just enjoy a liedown. I do enjoy life and what every day brings. I just need to slow down and savor it!

You've got to stop and smell the, ah, tulips!

The 59th Street Bridge Song - Simon and Garfunkel

Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feelin' groovy
Ba da da da da da da, feelin' groovy

Hello, lamppost, what'cha knowin'?
I've come to watch your flowers growin'
Ain't'cha got no rhymes for me?
Doot-in doo-doo, feelin' groovy
Ba da da da da da da, feelin' groovy

I got no deeds to do
No promises to keep
I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morning time drop all its petals on me
Life, I love you
All is groovy