Slow down

Have you ever noticed how wild creatures don’t seem to hurry unless they really need to? They skitter around, they run, they even flee sometimes if life depends on it. But for so many wild creatures, the usual pace of life is dictated by the flow of the natural world and what they need to survive and thrive. Wild things eat when they are hungry. They move when they need to move. They take time to rest when resting is most important. In our human world, so often we rush around from activity to activity without stopping to take a breath and look up from the race.

Challenge yourself to start day 3 by not moving a muscle when you wake up. (don’t set an alarm if you don’t have to!) When you open your eyes, notice where you are and how it feels to being laying down. Get up when you are ready, and try not to plan your day in your head more than you need to in order to function. Move through your day with the intent to be unhurried in every action that you take. This doesn’t mean you can’t move at a fast pace if you feel like it-it means that when you do move quickly, you are doing it because it’s going to enhance your day, not because it’s a way to get more things checked off the to do list. Though you are taking this unhurried stance for the whole day, be sure to take at least 30 minutes in one of your favorite natural settings to pay attention to the creatures and plants around you. Notice their pace, feel their energy and start to sink into the rhythm of living in tune with the wild. Let yourself rest when you need to rest.

How does it feel to stop hurrying? What does the intent to slow down and even rest in the midst of the details of the day bring up in you? What can you learn from observing wild creatures as they go about their day to day? (Please answer these questions as a post in the facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1850439408618887/