Moving Slowly Trisha)

This is something I came across in a book I picked up at a used book store a few years ago. I think it makes a lot of sense any time of year...but especially during these frenzied weeks before Christmas...

I usually get into too many different kinds of activities at this time of year. One day I realize I am skimming the surface of everything. There is but hollow pleasure in too crowded weeks. Real rewards come from engaging in fewer activities and experiencing each one more deeply. Loss of alertness and freshness of approach tell me to slow up. Life is best when there is a balance between activities and intervals of aloneness. In the intervals we are able to deepen the meaning of the activities.

The days I like least are those when I pass through my environment superficially almost as if it were a stage backdrop. I scarcely see anything except what needs doing at the moment. . .In contrast, when I am not pressed by a push of events I move more slowly and savor each moment. Every activity becomes a feature in itself and the simplest routine has its own joy. I feel the texture of the blanket when making a bed, and it is good. I feel the soil when I am repotting a houseplant and it is good. I listen beyond words to what people mean. I look at the sales person in the store and really see her. . . .this is living “three-dimensionally” – going that extra mile, doing all the things you are not required to do, but which give added meaning. Living this way you see not only your goal but the path that leads you there and all the little flowers and ferns that grow along its edges.
-- Jean Hersey