55+ Living Guide Winter 2018 Winter 2018 55+ issue for Joomag | Page 50

The Vine
Slowing Down
By Frank Buck
From the moment we are born, we are thrust into
motion and we continue in motion until an external
force acts upon us. There are road bumps and pitfalls
in life. For many of us, we continue on after such
events with little thought of slowing down or changing
our trajectory. Life only happens once and the life
you lead is up to you. It’s never too late to slow down,
figure out where you want to go and become a
better version of yourself.
Many of us are constantly moving
onto the next thing that we believe we
absolutely must do. We are the author
of our own insanity at times. At 69 years
young this personally rang true when
it was recently brought to my attention
that I was this person; constantly in
movement, always working on the next
project or thing I felt had to be done.
It forced me to look inward and realign
what is truly important to me. When
you’re always in motion you never give
yourself the valuable time to recharge.
So how do we slow down, simplify our life and
enjoy it more? The first thing I chose to do is to get
up a little earlier, allowing myself the time to have a
leisurely breakfast. Haven’t I earned this at my age?
Say out loud three things that you are thankful for.
Begin each day with a calmness, meditation or simply
breathing that will remain with you for the rest of the
day. Try and limit your media intake by one hour a
day. Turn off the TV and grab a book.
There’s more
to life than
increasing
its speed.
If you are still working, don’t let it
consume you, don’t bring it home with
you. Don’t turn to the home computer,
check your phone, Facebook or Twitter.
Focus on family or loved ones. They need
our love and support and help us shape
memories.
Meal time should be sacred. Try a new
recipe. Avid cooks have long recognized
the therapy in the power of kitchen time.
Gandhi
The joy comes in the preparation and the
eating. There is therapy in slicing and
dicing vegetables for dinner. The cutting
It’s the age-old question, do we want to work for things
board quiets the mind and soothes the soul, it’s a
we don’t really need or work for a personal experience.
form of meditation. Take your time, it’s not a race.
If we become a slave to our possessions, then perhaps the
Eat your meal slowly, savor each bite.
dream of skinny dipping in the French Riviera or hiking
an ancient Mayan ruin, will never be. Most of the time
Meditate to a healthier you, not medicate. Start single
it will be others who tell you to slow down and smell the
tasking, not multi-tasking. In the words of Gandhi,
roses. We can easily become self-absorbed, moving like
“There’s more to life than increasing its speed”
robots through a web of activities, depriving us of time
to nourish our souls and cultivate spiritual growth.
50