Slow Down

Have you ever noticed that you can actually hear yourself blink? It’s true! Next time you’re the first one awake in the morning, while the rest of the house stays asleep, just listen. You’ll hear it. It’s amazing how much you will notice when you just take the time.

There’s a saying I once heard about mindfulness, “when you take twice as long, you gain twice as much.” As a group we practiced this principal by eating an orange in slow motion. At first we held the slice on our tongue and in our cheek. We felt the texture on every side. As we continued eating slowly, we took note of the flavors and scents that accompanied each new movement. In the end each of us were able to come up with insights we had never noticed about eating an orange. I think this shows that when we open our time to really experience, we can gain so much more.

I recently made it a goal to free up more time in my life. I carefully looked at how I wanted to spend my day and how I was actually spending it. The two were wildly different. I wanted time to slow down so I could really appreciate things in their entirety. On day one of this new practice, I walked down the aisles of a new grocery store near my house. I had a long list of items to pick up and couldn’t seem to locate a thing I was looking for. As I skimmed food labels and prices, I passed an elderly man in a scooter cart. I said hello and asked him how he was doing. He looked up and said with a shaky voice, “I can’t find anything” my heart shattered and I realized I could relate. “I can’t either but I can help you! What are you looking for?” “Applesauce, Cranberry sauce, and tomato sauce.” Together we looked up and down the shelves until we found what he needed. As we walked down the aisle, he made a comment that I probably didn’t have time to help him, that I needed to get home to make dinner. In my heart I was so grateful that I actually did have free time to give and that it was reserved for moments like this. How often do we miss out on opportunities and perspective simply because we are too busy?

I think great beauty that can come from taking the time to see the details that are often missed. Sometimes we get so caught up in life that we overlook the wonders that constantly surround us. Wonders like the smell of a freshly peeled orange or even, the sound of a blink.