Happy Accident – Sunflowers from the Farmers Market with long exposure and camera movement
As I drove to the Farmers Market this morning I listened to an interview with a London musician, Jacob Collier, on public radio. One of his comments struck a chord with me and led me to writing this post today.
The Gift of Time
“One of the things this pandemic has brought us is the gift of time.” — Jacob Collier in NPR interview
Jacob’s comment got me to thinking about conversations I’ve had with many friends who say, “One thing that I really like about this time we’re living in is that I’ve slowed way down and I have more time to just be.”
Even though I am retired I have also appreciated having wide open days with nothing scheduled during the pandemic. I feel like I thrive when I have only a couple of things planned for each week instead of something every single day.
I’ve also discovered that my needs are relatively simple and that there is very little other than food and art supplies that I need to live contentedly at home.
Yet a week or two ago I found the number of my commitments and activities creeping up past my comfort zone. I started moving from “I choose to…” to “I have to…” and it didn’t feel good. Noticing helped me re-assess and plan differently going forward. And it reminded me to respect this gift of time and use it wisely.
“Sometimes our stop-doing list needs to be bigger than our to-do list.”
― Four-Word Self-Help: Simple Wisdom for Complex Lives
I want to continue to live this way whether or not there is a pandemic. Listening to my body’s rhythms has been nourishing and calming. I believe that living this way is not only sustainable, it is life-enhancing. In fact, in many ways my life feels richer and fuller than ever before.
I am spending more time in nature, developing a natural rhythm to each day where I find that I’m actually more physically active in my life than I was before because I am constantly listening to what my body tells me. When I reach out to connect with friends I do so with joy and when I say “No, that doesn’t fit for me,” I also do so with the joy of listening to my inner truth.
Confront your FOMO and Slow Down
So many people have been caught up in the Fear Of Missing Out that the abbreviation FOMO is now regularly used online and in articles. Between social media, streaming media, Zoom meetings, and being available 24/7 to respond to emails, texts, and phone calls people are living interrupt-driven lives in the name of “staying connected.” The sad thing is that this kind of connection is not usually life-enhancing or satisfying.
When life becomes driven in that way most of us totally forget about being in the moment. The reality is that by charging from one thing to the next to the next, we miss so much (internally and externally) because we are focused on the next thing instead of on the present moment.
How about you? Have you enjoyed a slower pace of life during the pandemic? Is it something that you plan to continue after it is no longer necessary?
Here is a blast from the past that fits today’s post. When I was a teen Simon and Garfunkel were my favorite group.
May you walk in beauty.
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