Time keeps flying... April 23 is far, far away now, and I still can't get it out of my head. Why? Because I live near an intersection where, just a few days after the Day Without Hurry, a helicopter landed twice in two days. Because every day I hear ambulances rushing to someone who may have been in too much of a hurry. And because almost every day in my therapy office, I talk to people who are tired, burnt out, anxious, or depressed from this constant rush. And they hope that I will give them some quick, instant advice on how to be productive and happy again. But miracles on demand are really not my specialty. I offer "only" what I have known how to do best since my early childhood: calmness, listening, acceptance, in a safe environment and, I swear, without haste...
Yes, I admit: speed has never been a strength of mine. My mother's "hurry up, you lazy bum" never really resonated with me. When I went to my first pioneer camp at the age of seven, she wrote it more kindly on my application form: "slower, but disciplined." Can you believe I took that as a compliment at that time? I recently remembered this when I was putting my groceries into a bag at a market and heard someone behind me say, "Yeah, that's how it should be, nice and slow, no rush, right..." I smiled apologetically at the man, who was probably too busy. (Have you noticed it is mostly older men who are always in a hurry?) Today, it doesn't bother me or make me anxious anymore. The mockery of those who are faster no longer hurts me. I laugh, too, or I remind myself that people would grumble even if they were standing behind someone else. I have come to terms with the fact that I will never win a sprint race or a corporate speed contest. However, I am good at other things: for example, I can wait calmly. Listen patiently. Respect other people with different temperaments, opinions, values and life paths. I can observe, look around, notice things. Appreciate the good things. Find hope even in difficult times. Dream. Experience joy in small things. Marvel at the beauty of nature or art. Admire the wisdom of ancestors as well as children. Be satisfied with what I have and who I am. I have changed my story (my narrative) and I love my life, even though I cannot be very fast.
Please, let's slow down. All of us. Not just on the road. And not just on April 23. We can do it. The economy does not have to and will not continue to grow all the time. Nor do we have to constantly move forward, chase, and rush. We can slow down or even stop for a moment, rest, look around us and inside ourselves... and then perhaps we will see more clearly where and how we should and want to go or drive on. Let's allow ourselves moments of conversation with our partner, children, friends, while they are still with us (and even afterwards). Let's enjoy the simple being, real doing nothing, from time to time. We really don't have to constantly keep ourselves busy or entertained. Let's just be bored, let's just be. And instead of driving, let's walk whenever possible – we will feel better, both physically and mentally.
I like walking – in the mountains as well as in parks. "Mom likes trudging," says my ten-year-old daughter. On the Tuesday after Easter, I treated myself to a quiet, unplanned walk in the Sítná Valley. I encountered five cute little rabbits. Several runners with dogs at their feet and/or headphones in their ears ran past the living nature without noticing it, without enthusiasm. (I don't want to judge, of course, maybe the joy comes later, with a glance at the scale or a smart watch. The joy of overcoming oneself, of kilometers swallowed or pounds lost. To each his own, and nothing against exercise, of course. It's just a shame to fill your free time with yet another pursuit of performance.) Several other athletes whizzed by on bikes or similar vehicles, some with an expression of "why the hell isn't there a proper asphalt road here so I can really step on it"... Children rushing around the playground on their way from school to their after-school activities or dinner mostly didn't notice the live rabbits either (perhaps fortunately from the animals' point of view, but that's a different story) — after all, they have a better bunny at home, their own dwarf rabbit in a shoe box-sized home, which they can pet anytime, and several other stuffed animals and, of course, a pile of chocolate ones, and countless virtual ones on the Internet — colored, flavored, animated, instant, there's no time for IRL...
We have enough of everything – that is, everything money can buy. Only time is becoming increasingly scarce (yes, I admit that it is therefore a shame to spend it in line at the checkout, but even such time can be spent more pleasantly or usefully than grumbling). We chase after things so much that we don't have time for our loved ones, let alone ourselves. We are so busy chasing money that we do not have time to live, talk, relax, care, and love. So let us try to slow down. It will help us, not only in traffic. Let us allow ourselves peace, quiet, and tranquility. Let us learn to live – from wise people who already know how, and from children who still know how. Let us be a little lazy, it will do us good – I know something about it... Of course, I understand and respect that everyone is different. I do not envy those who are fast; I wish them well in their achievements, especially if they truly enjoy them. I just like the idea of a National Day Without Hurry. And I see no reason why there could not be more days like that—I, for example, have almost all of my days like that... "And I'm alive, too," my beloved grandmother would add. I wish you a beautiful spring! (Yes, it's been here for a while now—can you see it? Do see it - it is wonderful...)
