Living Simply: Slow Down

Today I had the "pleasure" of sitting with someone at an appointment that I knew going in was going to take half the day or more. I know we live in a world that hates waiting, hates standing in line, and goes crazy if 60 seconds passes without a text response. So how was I going to handle a 4-6 hour wait? The answer was:  "simply".

I knew I couldn't go anywhere else during that time, and I knew I'd be in a public place so it's not the time to make phone calls. In line with my belief in living simply and intentionally, I planned. I brought a book that I'd been waiting to start. I decided ahead of time that staring at my watch every 15 minutes wasn't going to move things any faster, so I intentionally decided before I left not to look at the time while waiting. What good would that do anyway? It wouldn't change anything externally, and internally it would only drive my crazy. I chose instead to just intentionally let it unfold however it was meant to unfold (although I did pray the night before for things to go smoothly and have the right people in place).

I took the time to "people watch". There were people there from almost every walk of life. Some were young, some were kids, some were very old, all different shades of skin colors and ethnicity. It's so strange when people talk about an entire population in derogatory terms because when you just open your eyes, you see that people are just people (barring the extreme cases, but those shouldn't be how you see the whole group, they are not a correct representation). People are the same. They try to do things to help their family, they come together when trouble hits, they talk about the same types of things, they love their kids, etc.

Once I went from waiting in the lobby to the next waiting area, it was quiet. It was a perfect moment to settle down, clear my head, breathe slowly, and relax. No phone or book distracting me; just watching the few people around us, listening to conversations nearby, not rushing, not looking at the time every few minutes. It was a chance to just de-clutter my mind and slow down.

If you find yourself at an appointment or waiting for something, remember to see it as an opportunity to slow down. It's that break you wouldn't get otherwise in your day. Be intentional about slowing down. Choose to relax instead of sitting there fidgeting being full of anxiety. Life goes by too fast already. Remember to just slow down when presented with the opportunity.