I hardly noticed the crisp air as I rushed to my car to avoid being late for yet another meeting. It was November 15th, two weeks before Thanksgiving here in the U.S., but my car radio gleefully blared the holiday tune, “It’s the most wonnnnn-der-fullllll time of the year!”
Groan.
Seriously? I snapped off the song, then sped away to my appointment.
Not good.
I needed to give myself a little attitude adjustment, and thought you might like the same reminder …
Slow the hell down.
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa. All of the above, or none.
Slow the hell down.
You don’t have to attend every open house, party or happy hour you’re invited to.
Slow the hell down.
You don’t have to buy a present for every single person that you’ve ever met.
Slow the hell down.
You don’t have to make your theme song, “It’s the most buzzzzzz-iiiiii-essssst time of the year!”
Slow the hell down.
It’s Not About Stuff
It’s hard to not get caught up in the holiday frenzy. The Black Friday sales, all the great bargains, catalogs stuffed in your mailbox with temptations galore. Things you didn’t even know you needed … until you saw it, then the wants kick in. Ooooooooh, gotta have this. Gotta have that.
Life is not about stuff.
I’ve survived a house fire, y’all, so that makes me wise. Not really, but people somehow think that, so I’m going with it.
This much I know is true. Stuff takes up your time. Stuff sucks drains your energy.
Think of it this way. If you’ve got a bowl sitting on a shelf, nothing else can go there because that bowl is already taking up space. The more stuff. The less space.
The majority of my family’s belongings now sit boxed up in a giant warehouse off Rockwell Road on I-27. Yet, we’re somehow managing just fine without them.
True confession. I’m ENORMOUSLY happier since I got back all MY clothes and my cheapo laptop means the world to me, so I’m not this full-on zen mama.
But, the rest? I’m doing okay without it.
Still, you don’t have to have a house fire to slow the hell down.
Just do it.
Slow is a Revolution
*Stop and take a deep breath.
*Hug someone you love + tell them how much they mean to you.
*Do something anonymously kind for another person, but don’t take credit.
*Give a stranger a compliment.
*Sit still for 5 – 10 minutes every day without your phone, a book, or whatever your distraction of choice is.
*Look for what’s right in your world, instead of what’s wrong.
*Stop trying to do it all and just be.
*Spend more time with positive people, instead of negative ones who bring you down.
*Be more present in each moment.
*Step out of the rat race.
*Slow the hell down.
You’ll be glad you did. I wish you well.
What do you need to do to slow down?
Please leave comment. Let’s talk.
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Dead right Marcy.
And not just Christmas either – go at the pace that best suits YOU 24/7/365
Walk slowly so you can admire the grass and hear the birds singing. (but don’t walk slowly in front of me at the supermarket – Now, there’s a lesson for me there)
Since I gave up the day job I have been much happier and had time to reflect on life. I wonder what I missed through 40 years of rushing.
I love all this, Philip! There’s so many wondrous things happening all around us, but we must slow down and wake up enough to notice them.
Congrats on quitting your day job. I look forward to seeing what life unfolds for you. Thank you for your wonderful insights + friendship.
Yup, you’ve got that right! It’s not all about the stuff.
When we moved here and lived in a trailer for that first summer, all of our stuff was in storage and, honestly? It felt awesome to be free of it all — even the clothes and shoes. We had only what we needed week-to-week, and I don’t recall one moment where I missed any of it. The only thing I’d ever struggle to let go of would be my books and my iPad tablet so, ya, I’m not totally zen mama either. 😉
If I don’t get another chance, have a wonderful holiday season Marcy!!
What an interesting experience your summer-in-the trailer was, I bet. COOL! I love that you get it. Thank you for your comment. Happy Holidays, to you, too, T.O. We’ll see you in 2018!
Marcy- this is just what I needed to hear today, so I’m going to slow the hell down.
You’ve been in my thoughts and prayers, so glad y’all are adapting and doing well and you’re right it’s just stuff. So why not embrace your love ones and just slow the he’ll down and smell the roses. You know I’m going to be chanting this all day in my head. Ha ha!! Love it and love you.
Hi Tonya,
So glad this is what you needed to hear. Everything does not have to be done right now. Some of it doesn’t need to be done at all, but it’s hard to discern that when we’re a whirling dervish.
Let’s all slow the hell down and enjoy the last of 2017. It’s the only one we’ll ever have, so let’s make it count! Love you, too.
I need to learn to say NO. I need to stop doing things because others think I should and not because it n is something that I want to do. 0
Boy, Joan, do I hear you on that. I still sometimes saying NO, but am a thousand times better than I was in my 20’s. Two things really helped me.
1) I’d rather someone else be mad at me for 5-10 minutes (or even longer) because I told them NO, rather than for me to be furious with myself for a whole lot longer because I didn’t honor my truth and say what I mean. NO. That helped bunches.
2) While I was still struggling with this, I’d say something like this to buy myself more time. “You know, I’m really flattered you asked, but I’m going to have to think about this. My plate is really full right now, so I might have to say no, but I’ll consider it since you asked.”
See? I planted the NO in the brain for later. Then, I’d email them or call a day or two later when I knew they weren’t there and read the NO I’d written out. If I had to call and talk to them when they were there, or do it face-to-face, I’d just rehearse what I was going to say, then do it.
Sometimes, I slipped and still caved and said yes, but the more I practiced @ saying the no, the better I got at it. Honoring myself became more important than people pleasing.
WHEW! I didn’t mean to write a novel, but your comment really resonated with me. Good luck with you!
Marcy,
Slow down, but don’t stop doing the things you are passionate about! Do them with even more gusto…you’ll have the time and space on the shelf .
G
Excellent point, George. We should always make room for the activities that bring us passion! You always have such great insights! Thank you for the reminder! Enjoy the rest of 2017!
I have a cat who reminds me to slow the hell down whenever she sits in my lap and refuses to get down. She lets me know with her claws it is not time to move yet. We sit outside and stay still long enough that we have had hummingbirds and butterflies land near us. Blue jays and Cardinals drink from her water bowl near us. I also have serious heart problems (surgery next year!) that force me to slow the hell down. And, as much as I hate to say it, the world continues to spin without me for a few minutes. My kids figure out things on their own. My husband helps pick up “the slack” while I slow the hell down and just be.
Your cat sounds incredibly wise and a wonderful companion. Isn’t it interesting how we sometimes act like there will be dire consequences if we slow the hell down, yet that hasn’t happened once in all of my 51 years.
Thank you for your comment + GOOD LUCK with your heart surgery. Blessings!
Hey Marcy, its good to stop and smell the roses sometimes. This year has made me more appreciative of what I have, a home, loving family, good friends, my cat, chocolate and an endless list of books to read. My hubby was in intensive care for 4 months at the start of the year, he’s back home and on the mend. I really couldn’t have wished for a better gift than that this year. My kids and grandkids are happy and healthy as are my parents. What more is there to want out of life except maybe more chocolate. All the best to you and yours from me and mine. xxx
Wow, Gina! What a scary experience for your husband and your family. I’m so glad he’s doing better. Health and happiness truly is everything. Thank you for reminding me to stop and smell the roses. I appreciate your comment!
Hello Marcy Mason McKay, I am so very glad to “meet” you. I have the same problem preventing me from Slowing the Hell down, I have to learn to say NO more emphatically. I have gotten some of those around me to understand when I say NO but they sure don’t like it. I used to think I had to say Yes all the time or they would not love me as much. Well, now I know better. They might get mad or upset, but they will get over it and in the meantime, I love the smell of roses, newly mown grass, rain, my puppies, and my grandchildren. Thanks for posting this. It really helped reinforce it for me. So glad to be part of your group now.
Hi Cricket,
Isn’t empowering when we finally start honoring ourselves and speaking our truth and saying NO when we need to say NO?! You’re so right. It’s not always well received, but being true to ourselves is more important that people pleasing.
Great post, Marcy. Getting away from our stuff is one of the reasons Rohn and I take our long RV trips every year. When we are camping, we often lack a cell phone signal and WiFi and we are usually surrounded by beautiful scenery and wildlife. We are considering living full-time in the RV once we retire and seeing every back road and scenic overlook in North America.
Even when we are in town, we try to be mindful to avoid busyness. Last night, instead of doing Christmas chores, we headed up hwy 60 to watch the super moon rise over the wind turbine fields. We happened upon pasture with a large flock of sandhill cranes, with geese migrating overhead and deer walking through. It was glorious.
I LOVE THIS, Vicki! I totally think you should live full-time in your RV when you retire. What an adventure. Mark recently sent me a video on “van life.” But, it was like a van…a small Scooby Doo van. I wrote, “I love you, but I can’t live in a van.”
But, a nice RV with a real bed, shower and bathroom? I could totally get down with that. Good for you both that you both are intentional in slowing down. It’s so easy to get BIZZZZZZZZY.
Thanks for you comment. You’re the best!
“Slow the Hell Down”….Yup a very wise and profound statement. In High School the phrase was “Stop looking down and look straight ahead.” Also words to live by. We all miss opportunities by not looking at what or who is in front of us, beside us or around us. By not slowing down, I have again missed many opportunities…I know what my New Year’s Resolution is going to be! “Slow the Hell Down”, words to definitely live by.
You totally get it. Moving frantically through life not only makes us miss opportunities and life’s little moments, but it also leaves us frantic and drained. No bueno.
I’m glad this post spoke to you. I appreciate your comment.
Slow down? For most things I agree with the sentiment. But when it comes to the fact this post has been sitting in my inbox for over two weeks? I need to speed the hell UP! And apologize for taking so long to get to it. It has been a crazy couple weeks!
Hugs!
it’s been a crazy couple of weeks here, too. Which I need to slow the hell down, but if you need to hurry the hell up, then GET TO IT. It’s all about balance, babe.
Your comment made me laugh, which I can always use. Thanks, Em.
Thank you, sweetie. You rock! <3
Whether you slow down or speed up, the really important thing is to be present in your own life, sometimes inside yourself, getting in touch with how you experience reality, and sometimes outside yourself actually experiencing that reality, and perhaps sometimes both simultaneously. Not easy, and often we do none of the above, or at least I know that I do. Sometimes I get lost in my fear of what might happen, beyond whatever is necessary to make a better choice. I am working on that right now with a neighbor that shares a well with me. The neighbor is holding my water hostage until I pay them money that I do not owe them. Even if I did pay them, I fear that they would continue to make up reasons to ask for even more money. Will they? Who knows? And what does it matter right now? I can do without tap water for the moment, but not long term, so I need to stop worrying about what might happen and solve the problem that actually exists.
I’ve REALLY learned to be so much more present in my own life these days. That is PRICELESS. Good luck with your water situation. That’s SCARY. Thanks for the comment.