Slow Down and Take Notice

Slow Down and Take Notice

Written by Christina Bieche, MSEd, LCPC, NCC

Have you ever noticed how our lives move so quickly that we sometimes forget what the "real" speed of life is?? We see our children grow up right before our eyes. Some days, we wonder how it's possible and yet on other days, we can't wait to see what life has in store for them. I can't help but notice how quickly those precious moments pass us by...oh, those moments in time!

Life moves deceptively quick. Think about watching a sunrise when driving down a country road. The sky gradually gets lighter and lighter, yet you wait and wait for the sun to peek above the horizon. Then you blink and it's already cleared the horizon and jumped up into the sky blazing for everyone to see. It's easy to forget that the earth is actually spinning around at almost 1,000 miles/hr.

Now, I'm not always able to get up early enough to watch the sunrise, so I look for other ways to be reminded of the speed of life. I have a photo I took one spring when going for a walk in my neighborhood. For some reason, the garden just struck me, so I quickly snapped a shot on my phone.

On another walk, I was again caught mesmerized by the same garden and took another picture. What a difference! Can you believe these pictures are only a few short months apart? Amazing and so awesome!!

If you just sit and watch it, a garden seems to be completely still. But in reality, the growth is constantly occurring and is again, deceptively quick.

At one point in my life, I had this wonderful opportunity to slow down and take notice of the real speed of life. And what I came to realize was that it's very much the same as when choosing the life we want to live. When we plant the seeds of conscious choice, it may feel or appear like nothing is happening. It may seem like the rain keeps coming and attempts to flood the garden. But remember, the growth is still constant and deceptively quick. If we just sit and wait for it to happen, the progress can be completely invisible, and you will most likely miss the growth actually taking place.

So, I challenge you to start planting the garden of your life. Be in the moment and look around at what you are truly accomplishing each and every day. Then, weed it, if need be, water it, and let nature do its thing. I trust you'll have a bountiful harvest before you know it! How awesome is that?

Take notice, move into action, and live like you matter! But most importantly, keep smiling!!

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