Hurry Up and Slow Down

While heading to a meeting on Thursday another driver was doing the “bob and weave dance” to get ahead of the pack.  This old memory surfaced and needed to be presented in black and white as another example of how we are always “Perfectly on time”.

Somewhere in the 90’s and sitting at a stop light that started flashing the green arrow my response time was slightly delayed and the driver behind me honked. Not a good idea back in the day… here came ego/shadow in all its glory – rising to the surface like a tornado and moving toward blowing a gasket. Letting him pass and then starting the chase down Scott Road in full blown insanity mode – honking and raising my fist. Don’t you know who I am? Don’t you know this is MY road? Yep… I did that.

Don was a passenger and there’s no recall of him raising his voice. Rather there’s a memory of him stating in a rather stern voice “What on earth are you doing Marilyn?” We’d probably already gone a few blocks because of the speed being traveled and a more reasonable state of mind returned pretty quickly.

Why this story and why now? Because:

• it seems to be related to this current blog title;
• this writer has been there, done that, got the T-shirt;
• being in the 4^th quarter AND being “Perfectly on time” seems to have removed those old responses to the bobbers and weavers in our world; and
• it was quite delightful to recognize myself in the behaviour of that other driver on Thursday AND at almost the same time recall Don’s take on and response to the bobbers and weavers – “honey, if we watch and pay attention, I bet we’ll end up at the same stop-light at the same time” (and we often did…always “Perfectly on time“…LOL).

Of course, there are children and grandchildren who may suggest that such aggressive behaviour can still pop up on occasion. They may be right but it’s truly a rare event – it’s simply so much easier to slow down, stay in my lane and let the others pass by.

This week’s explorations seem to have once again raised awareness about the shadow/soul dance so typically at play for this “Perfectly on time” human-suited earth-school participant. Determining which one “wins” … maybe that should be “is heard”… can be somewhat perplexing. However, for today, I’m going to trust that I’m listening to soul and heart-felt because that’s what has resonated all week long.

An option to attend the Spiritual Writer World Summit was presented a few weeks ago and included 12 interviews with some very inspiring and thought-provoking individuals. The willingness to walk this “Perfectly on time” mantra seems to be opening multiple new opportunities to try on new ideas and continue moving forward in this 4^th quarter. This summit was one more opening. There were multiple similarities that seemed to encircle the “like-minded” experiences, perceptions, and approaches of and to our respective “stories” and they were simply delightful.

The more this idea of having agreed to come here to simply experience “my story” is embraced (a story that was shown to me before I arrived in the earth-school and one, I agreed to come and live), the more a new level of quiet, calm, peacefulness and acceptance seem to settle in as part of a daily routine. Of course, there are some newer “practices” and those too are surely having an impact on the unfolding. Things like:

So, as another week ends and a new one begins this idea of “Hurry Up and Slow Down” may provide some room for contemplation… at least for this writer. My history has contained a very strong element of “Hurry Up and get it done by last week”. Unable to be present in quietness without a lot of activity going on (either mental or physical) was a norm of sorts. My children and I have often considered ourselves as being on the border of OCD. Not to be presented as good or bad, simply an observation about our energies.

There have been moments when it seems the impact of the pandemic has resulted in new observations about what appears to be a “slow-down” of sorts, including a change in priorities and a shift in family dynamics. There’s a granddaughter in my world who recently announced that she will not be going back to her career in broadcasting because, in her words,

“While I absolutely loved my job, I’m excited for a new opportunity that will allow for equally meaningful work while offering better work/life balance as I raise my sweet baby boy“.

Then comes the word duality and the importance of seeing both shadow and soul (light). Each a part of the other? Each of value because one can’t be seen without the other also being present. Perhaps they are part and parcel of being in the human-suit and now we are finally coming to a place of listening more closely to soul and light.

Newer idea … what if all of us truly are “connected” and what if that connection may actually have an impact on the forces that appear to be playing out in our world. Some looking dark but others looking incredibly bright. Does it come down to where my attention is directed?

When the old “Hurry up and get it done by last week” persona kicks in there is no time or space for slowing down. This Crone is now looking for more ways to embrace new adventures and at the same time undertake them with a slower, more mindful approach to better enjoy the moments and the rest of the journey yet to come.

Is there a wish being extended this week? Yep….that ALL of us are able to “see” the moments of grace, encouragement, comfort and understanding that surround us. When those “moments” are “seen” some of the most magical memories are created and may well become part of an inspirational story to be shared a generation or two from now.