Slow Down; Be Happy

There are many of us in this world who are convinced we don't have time for everything we absolutely, positively know we must do.

But we try.

We take pride in going the extra mile, often at breakneck speed, so that we may accomplish more than others might accomplish, even if they tried.

Practiced in the extreme, it's not a character trait of which one should be proud, but, if we look inward, we'll probably discover that, secretly, we are indeed proud we're busy... it's almost a badge of honor.

"Hey, everyone, look at me," we seem to be saying. "see how busy I am."

It's reflected in everything we do, not only in our job, but when we're washing dishes, driving cars or going up and down stairs.

I've always driven fast -still do - and yesterday I went up the stairs in our house, two steps at a time, just to see if I could. I can.

When I drove to the office last Friday, the flow of traffic on the Connecticut Turnpike, instead of its usual stop-and-go, was remarkably open.

As a result, cars in the "slow lane" were doing 65 (the speed limit is 55); in the center lane it was 70; in the fast lane it was 75 and above. Of course 1 chose the fast lane, and cut 18 minutes off my trip to the office.

I joke about this, but shouldn't.

In this month of February, when we celebrate American Heart Month, there are better ways to go through life than at full speed.

Maybe, instead of circling the supermarket parking lot looking for that close-to-the-door location where we can park, dash in and dash out, maybe we should pick a parking space farthest from the store and walk briskly to and from the door. The exercise would be good for our hearts.

Today, on our television screens, you and I can find "Extreme This" or "Extreme That," but in Westport, CT, where I live, emphasis on "extreme" is almost a way of life. Many residents get up at 5:00 a.m. - that's extreme carried too far - in order to catch the 6:16 train to their jobs in New York City.

At the end of their day, the earliest train home is, for them, the 6:10 p.m. (there are earlier trains, but these workaholics seldom catch those trains). If they're lucky, the train will be on time, the traffic rush to get out of the station won't be too bad and they'll pull into their driveways at 7:30 p.m.

It's almost a 14-hour workday - and the sad part about all this is that they get up too early to eat breakfast with the kids - and arrive home too late to eat dinner with them.

In his book, In Praise of Slowness: How a Worldwide Movement Is Challenging the Cult of Speed (HarperCollins,2004), Carl Honoré (who describes himself as a recovering speedaholic) is quoted in a November 29, 2004 Newsweek article as saying that he deplores the "cult of speed."

"I'm attacking the whole cultural assumption," Honoré says, "that faster is better and we must cram every waking hour with things to do."

Going slow is a tough sell because, as you and I know, we're a nation of people in a hurry. We drive fast, work fast and play fast - and, I suspect, we look down on those who don't.

But we all know "fast" isn't necessarily synonymous with "good." And we also know that good teachers like you - with the pressures and time constraints you face - need to slow down, too.

So, slow down, stay healthy, be happy,

Allen A Raymond

Copyright Early Years, Inc. Feb 2005
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