17th of August
Slow down and enjoy life.
It’s not only the scenery that you miss by going so fast
But also miss the sense of where are you going and why.
~Eddie Cantor~
Everyday that I wake up and look at the calendar I always ended up frowning. It never fails to cause me to chuckle and ask the question “Is it really that date today?” Everyday seems like I’m days behind to so many things and trying to catch up with time seems not possible.
Am I the only one who feels this way? That everyday that I checked on the calendar I get frustrated that I am unable to do the things that I should have done or accomplished because I’m still catching up with the ones I thought I’m behind?
Or are we all in the same frustration?
A trip, tidying a part of the house that has long been neglected, visiting someone in the hospital (who was discharged before you were able to visit), movie time, shopping time, or just simply buying a bike part or whatever for your son, daughter, sister or for whoever and for whatever? Or coffee time with an old friend, or even a social media status that you should had commented yet failed to do until it got lost in the feed?
Did we even ask ourselves “Why are we even in a hurry?”. “What are we really trying to catch up with? BIG QUESTION? But so true.
**~**
The photograph is taken this morning during my regular run this time with my young daughter. My phone rang and I had to stop running and take the call. I usually do not use phone when running. But I was confirming an important seminar scheduled in the afternoon. After the call I have yet to contact another person.My daughter was pulling my running shorts to catch my attention while I’m on a call and she was silently pointing to something on the grounds beside my right shoe. When I take a look I found a snail!
The snail was moving so slowly heading to my right shoe. Too slow that even when I finished my call it did not even finished crossing the few inches distance between where it came from to my shoe.
While looking at it, I realized it has been years since I haven’t seen a snail. But then I thought, I’m not sure if I really did not see a snail for quite a while or I was just too busy to take a look around. Actually the truth is, I had almost forgotten that there’s a creature called “snail”.
To my daughter’s persistence we observed the snail. I decided to take a photo and to my amazement the snail stopped moving. I’m not sure if it’s a part of its cautious instinct or what. I don’t know anything about snail except that it has always been a simile for the word “slow”. But it just stopped moving! In spite of its unimaginable slow pace it can still afford to stop!
If I (we) could just be like the snail…
Although I lament not doing things today, I still look forward to tomorrow. I learn from my very young students the word now, and so I try to do things as soon as I can. I look busy but having time to sweep the garden and tend my plants make me one with myself and the world. The snail stopped because it sensed movement around it, a danger perhaps, and became wary. There is also one more thing a snail leaves after its slow journey, a slimy trail, telling us that its journey was long but doable.
ReplyDeleteI guess "having time to sweep the garden and tend my plants make me one with myself and the world" is the most awesome part.
DeleteMine is finding time to sit and write...
I wish I had time to slow down and take it easy. But with classes starting up again so soon, that appears unlikely.
ReplyDeleteYou are right my friend. We do have the same life. Well except I don't do seminars. haha
ReplyDelete