By Lesley A. Goddin
Spirit walkers, moving slowly leaves an energy impression on the path, December 2008, photo © 2008-2009 by Lesley Goddin. All rights reserved.
Slow or fast.
This is suddenly the question of the century for me.
I was born slow. A brown-eyed, curly-haired Taurus—stubborn, plodding (yes, it really says that in horoscope descriptions). Maybe lingering and savoring, which is why we like food so much.
My childhood was given to many daydreams and meanderings, and walks in the woods, among the poison ivy and honeysuckles and magic of light falling through green leaves. Looking and sketching. Slow thinking. One thought cascading down upon another like water tripping down levels of a rock fountain. Nourishing.
But as time went on, slow fell out of style. It was FAST! FAST! FAST! Multitask—no time for lingering or even being present. In my 30s, I actually remember sitting in my corner office on the 35th floor of a building at 52nd and Broadway in Manhattan, thinking, “I am like a well-oiled machine.” I was proud of that, proud of being able to zing from one activity to another; excited by life, excited by my ability; buzzing with importance.
Golden nuggets, as I linger in the fading light, the
rocks around me turn to gold, December 2007, photo
© 2007-2009 by Lesley Goddin. All rights reserved.
Now I am 51. And the fast life is losing its appeal. I moved to New Mexico 14 years ago, but kept up the pace. Except now fast includes email and texting and cell phones and being online with two email accounts and several social networking sites opened at once, as I sit in my home office and work remotely editing an industry trade magazine. Fast means keeping up with it all—answering emails the second they arrive; keeping my train of thought; not finding time to declutter my house or compound the oxidation that has formed on my 14-year old car hood.
This weekend, my body rebelled. It put a knot in my chest and a gasp in my breath and jelly into my legs. I know this syndrome—overloading my nervous system with stress and busyness and then trying to clear it out with intense exercise. My wise body wasn’t having any of it. Dreams of walking and yoga and deep breathing filled my head and my online research confirmed that was just what I needed. A return to the slow.
Solar lit labyrinth, the labyrinth awaits my slow,
meandering pace, July 2007 photo © 2007-2009
by Lesley Goddin. All rights reserved.
So, this is my mission now. To live in the slow. To BE slow. To BE. To savor and linger and walk just a touch slower than I know I can; to do one thing at a time; to give up worry and hurry for Lent. I am remembering who I am; I am snorting through my Taurus nostrils and stamping my bull hooves and pawing the ground in stubborn slowness and defiance of the world’s ever-increasing pace.
I am mad as hell and I am not going to take it any more—except I am not mad. I am sane. I am wise. I will meander through the cobblestone-and-gravel labyrinth I helped build at a local church and let God talk to me.
Tonight, out for my slow walk at dusk, I asked for Divine direction. Across the street and up in the brown foothills, movement along the trail caught my eye. A huge deer, chocolate brown against the mocha dusty trail moved with grace, white rump flashing. Then another and another—seven in all. I stopped, stood smiling, watching their meandering climb, joined by a bicyclist to witness the miracle and share small words, all a gift of choosing to be slow. And I got my answer.
Pronghorns, slow walking got me close to these
pronghorn antelope in the Petrified Forest in Arizona
earlier this year, January 2009, photo © 2009
by Lesley Goddin. All rights reserved.
Lesley Goddin has been writing and journaling since her first diary at age 11, and drawing and sketching since she could hold a pencil. Her penchant for observation led to her becoming a paid professional as a trade journalist, publicist and currently as an editor for TileLetter, a trade magazine for tile contractors. She has also written for Guideposts, Walls, Windows and Floors, Floor Covering Weekly, and Low Carb Energy.
Her inspired writing life centers around topics of Spirit, including several sermons and an ongoing e-newsletter called Footsteps, for members of the labyrinth community in Albuquerque, an ancient walking meditation. She is currently working on a book of labyrinth-inspired essays called Letters from the Labyrinth.
-related to Topic post WRITING TOPIC – SLOW OR FAST?
Wow…that was quite inspirational. I have certainly asked many of the same questions, and arrived at similar mental and spiritual destinations as a consequence. thanks for sharing….
Scott
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As always, Lesley illuminates a truth beautifully, and I’m thankful to have slowed down for a moment to read and enjoy!
Blessings,
Irene
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Lesley… what a beautiful article and a timely reminder for everyone whose life it will touch, including mine. The pictures make my heart long for New Mexico even more than usual!
Although I moved from ABQ to Central IL nearly seven years ago now, I look forward to your Footsteps and am thrilled each time it pops into my email. The way that Spirit works fascinates me … how every time something in it touches a piece of my own journey and a little bit of ABQ brings a smile and a lilt to my day as my time there was precious beyond words.
Blessings to you on your life path… know that each time you put words to paper they go far beyond you and ripple into the lives of so many as you share your story with us! Namaste’ – Donna
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I loved the insights and growth in the story, and the photos were fantastic! An inspiring and long thought out piece.
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Leslie, Beautifully written. Sounds like you are yearning for those good, old, slow days. Where life did not pass us by at warp speed. We enjoyed and savored each moment. When we did took the time to stop…look…listen…and smell the roses. Our aged-wisdom teaches us we can accomplish much quickly now but at what cost. Half the battle is realizing the speed is too fast…the other half…slowing down. Karen
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Slow is good but life is fast now. I find that a balance between what I want and what I got is the best for me. I tried slow, and it was against the flow. Maybe if I was mystic, but I am not. Fast is with the flow but you can lose yourself in the flow (in a very bad way). So I sped things up just a bit and I pull back when things seem to be gaining “out of control” type speed. The constant balance act is tiring. But that’s life. What’s the antidote? Death?
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The photos in this piece are fantastic, Lesley. I am wondering about your photography and how long you’ve been taking photos, whether you sell your photographs, and anything else you can shed about that practice. (Including, do you think of photography as a practice, similar to slow walking?)
I also wanted to say that the first photograph blew me away. It seemed so relevant to the writing. First, it depicted the practice of slow walking a labyrinth, but because of the ghosts of several people, it also seemed to depict the passage of time. Like it might be a time lapse photo. And the odd thing with that is that it also had a sort of fast-to-slow essence to it. I don’t know if that makes sense.
Lesley, I’m thrilled that our paths have crossed. I remember when you first wrote, you saw that one of our userids is sloWalker. And of course, QM and I are both slow walkers. QM has also delved so deeply into labyrinths and mandalas, and I just know the two of you would have so much to talk about if given the chance to meet in person.
BTW, do you ever go to Ghost Ranch (did I already ask you this on email?)? And if so, isn’t the labyrinth there powerful? Under Kitchen Mesa. It’s amazing.
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Thank you for the reminder of the benefits of contemplative living – it’s not the goal but the jounery that matters. Your piece really resonates with me and I am glad for this opportunity to appreciate it and share a few moments with you.
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Hi Everyone!
First, thanks so much for taking the time to stop and read a story about slowness! I appreciate your support and celebrate you taking a moment to ponder and reflect in what most probably is a busy day!
@ Donna: so nice to hear from you after all these years! I am glad that Spirit working through words on a page (or a computer screen) can still bind us together. Hope you have found a labyrinth to walk close by in your new home.
@ Perry: good point. Sometimes insistence on “slow” can create more stress and pressure than flowing fast for a time. Balance IS key. For me, I find it easier to speed up from a slow grounded place than skid to a crawl from a wildly ricocheting pace. But I find it takes discipline to be slow and grounded.
@ Karen: I don’t know if the “old days” were necessarily slow and balanced for me as I was in the process of discovering myself and my place in the world. I do remember moments in my childhood and in college when I took time to just savor and meander. I think I don’t want to go backwards, but rather forwards into a time of balance and serenity — and SANITY. Too much speeding around for me (and I don’t even drink coffee! :-)) makes me feel insane.
@ybonesy: I’ve been taking photographs in conscious way since college. Would love to invest in a digital SLR, but I love the portability of my Canon PowerShot A630, which lets me have it at the ready and yet gives me access to manual controls that enable the time-lapse effect you liked in my indoor labyrinth shot.
For me, photography is a way to record an especially striking moment — the incredibly golden sunlight at sunset in the foothills here; an architectural detail; something that just catches my eye with some kind of beauty or significance. I even use my cell phone camera now to record these moments! I haven’t sold my photography, but I have used it for greeting cards and such. You are giving me something else to think about!
I have been to Ghost Ranch and walked the labyrinth by all the buildings and casitas…that one IS powerful. I’ve walked it by day and at night; each time a different transcendent experience.
Yes! About SloWalker!!!!! Here’s the story: I came back in after the walk I wrote about in today’s story and searched for “Slow Clubs.” I only found one mention and it was a musical group (could be worth checking out!). Then I put in Slow Walker….and was led to redRavine.com and the SloWalker email address! Also to the “Slow or Fast” writing practice, with the images of a tortoise and a hare — images I had JUST been discussing with my sweetie earlier in the day. I did the writing exercise and voila! Here we are! 🙂 Interested in continuing the conversation online and meeting in person one day, too!
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Today’s society and business environment rewards people for going faster and faster and faster, until you burn-out and crash. At that point they have no use for you anymore.
Thanks for reminding us that it’s far more important to take some time to slow down and take care of ourselves. This is so critical to us in the long term, and needed if I want to watch my grandchildren grow up.
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Lesley, My reference to old days was meant to represent a time before email, cellphones and the demands we face today. To a time when you took walks through the woods and watched the lights dance through and on the leaves, as you stated. Nothing more. Karen
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@ Karen: Right!!!!….we want to grow up and take on the world….and then we get to a place where we want to give it back! The thing today is to not feel GUILTY when walking through the woods without the cell or not connected to the internet. That sort of soul-nourishing is essential for anything else we want to attempt in our personal and professional lives.
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Seems like you’ve put into place good structure to keep your life sane and slow, Lesley. Do you find that you go through phases? Like you’ll slow things down but that the fast-paced way of living creeps back in? I know that happens with me.
I started out this year with strong intentions to savor books, to start what I finish. But lately it’s been hard to keep just those two intentions going.
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The fast-paced way of life always threatens to creep back in, ybonesy. I think it’s a little like living my life according to the incessant commentary of “monkey-mind” or choosing to ground myself in the “observer” that exists beyond all the thought-chatter. It’s living according to the externally-imposed pace of life vs. my own harmonious inner nature.
However, I do find there are times I have to step up the pace — when working on projects, deadlines (I edit a magazine after all), various commitments in the community. I think if I have a good centered place to return to, those forays into freneticism aren’t as damaging.
I have to laugh about your resolution to savor books: I have several unfinished on my nightstand. A few weeks ago I undertook a re-reading of Walden (seemed appropriate)….not always the easiest book to read, though the ideas are SOOO modern and pertinent. As a “break” I began reading “The Power of Now.” If there is anyone harder to read than Thoreau, it is Tolle (no disrespect meant; the work just requires a lot of time for reflection and digestion). I do find I can be easily distracted but when I get in the flow, ahhhh, that is bliss.
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Jim (my husband) has read The Power of Now and Tolle’s other book. I have a hard time with non-fiction books unless they’re memoir. But he’s the opposite. He loves historical books, and he seemed to enjoy Tolle’s books, although I think he uses them more as reference guides.
I’m very much a fast and slow person. Not at the same time, of course, but I can pick it up one day, slow it down the next. I can’t figure out which one, if either, is my true nature. I chalk it up to being a Gemini. Kind of like how I don’t quite fit into introvert or extrovert as a general way of being.
I’ve resisted getting an iPhone or Blackberry. Having access to email all the time seems highly dangerous to me. I do notice that young people, teens and young adults, use iPhones, Blackberrys, and texting almost as if it’s another appendage. I wonder a) are they going to reach a point where they need to slow down, or b) will they almost have evolved out of that need? And if they do need to slow down, which common sense tells me they will need—I mean, I just don’t think we’re made to be on constantly—what methods will they use?
Do you get any or many young people doing labyrinth walks?
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I hate to admit this, but I watched the first season 3 episode of Solitary on hulu.com last night. I hadn’t seen the show before. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a reality show that keeps people isolated from each other, and then puts them through physical and emotional extremes. On the outside, they’re competing against each other to be the last one there, but it’s more about their own stamina and fortitude. The only contact they have is with “Val”, who tells them what to do.
In the first part of this episode each player spent over 24 hours in their isolation pod without any contact from Val. It was very interesting to see how many of them were really starting to freak out. One even commented that he’d never had to entertain himself before and didn’t think he could handle it.
I kept thinking, “What a great opportunity for some deep meditation!”
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I like non-fiction and have read a lot of it. But I also like the poetry and flow of a good story, the rhythm and beauty and total immersion in it. Maybe I need to balance some of my non-fiction reading with some fiction reading right now! 🙂
You, Gemini- perfect — of course you can be fast AND slow! Ah, the versatility! I can too. I am an INFP (Meyer’s Briggs), but right on the cusp of “I”. I really feel nourished and fed from my inner life, but I need the energy of others too. However, in situations where I am around people ALL THE TIME for days on end, I get burned out and off-balance. I think it’s the same way with slow/fast…it’s not healthy for me to be on constant FAST mode though spurts are fun and energizing.
My cell phone has access to Mobile Web, so I can log onto Facebook or AOL or my work email or the Internet to check on things WHEN I WANT TO. I think eating dinner or being out with friends and constantly being pinged would raise my ire. I even had to turn off the option on mobile Facebook that sends me friend updates as texts…just too much info that I feel a need to respond to in some way.
Young people were born into a cell phone culture the way we were born into a TV culture….kind of always there. The brain adapts to use the technology it has at hand. I do wonder if “instant-access” young people have these days allows them to have time to figure out some things for themselves instead of asking someone else how to solve it or what to do. On the other hand, they have a true sense of being connected to their peeps all the time, which can be comforting.
As far as young people slowing down….I think it starts with OLDER people slowing down. Not grinding to a halt, mind you, but being able to have some “margin” in their/our lives for play, for being — fostered in the book “THe Overload Syndrome” by Richard A. Swenson, M.D. To both add to our own happiness and longevity that is then modeled to a generation who is being told to THINK! and BE! by what they see in various media (as we were, only it’s more pervasive now). My mom — who’s birthday it is today — told me one thing (among others) that has served me well ” Be a nonconformist.” That is especially an important message in this highly mediated culture. It is also essential for media literacy to be taught at schools, methinks, to give kids tools to manage the images they see. As for me, I believed people really had families like “Father Knows Best” and “Leave It to Beaver,” so it was a rude awakening to realize it wasn’t REAL.
There was also a great article in USA today last week on the importance of play in controlling stress. Read it here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-03-23-play-stress_N.htm?POE=click-refer
We get occasional young people at labyrinth walks, and have been thinking of staging a walk for a large group of young people we know….just haven’t gotten that planned yet!
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Your thoughts on Slow or Fast are more than inspirational, they are wisdom for all who heed your advice. My senior years have taught me that ‘doing nothing is doing something.’ But laziness isn’t the answer either. Taking time to enjoy a rainbow, star gazing, watching activities at the birdfeeder and gardening are the jewels in life, precious and God given gifts.
I am so proud of you, my daughter, and glad to see that time has taught you to release your talents. When you were growing up I knew that there was something very special about you….talks about angels and God were clues to what you have become. I love you.
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Lesley, some wonderful responses to your piece on slowing down. It’s so relevant to the world we live in today. Your photographs really add to the piece, too. I like the last two, the pronghorns and the labyrinth at dusk. Can’t believe you got that close to the pronghorns! That sure doesn’t happen every day and I’m sure they sensed your slow energy that day.
A couple of questions about your experience of walking the labyrinth. Does it make a difference whether its an outside or inside labyrinth? And if so, what are those differences to you.
Also, do you ever stop and sit at the center of the labyrinth and write or stare at the sky? I really enjoyed sitting at the center when I walked the Sisters of Carondelet labyrinth in St. Paul. It made the slow walk back out a completely different experience than the walk in.
One more — what’s your experience of walking the labyrinth alone as opposed to walking with others like in the first time lapse shot? I have slow walked with groups but only walked the labyrinth alone or with Liz. So I wondered about those experiences for you.
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Hi Mom:
Thanks for your very loving, supportive and heartfelt comments. One’s never too old to appreciate encouragement from one’s mom. Especially on her birthday. I love you too!
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@ John: Wow! 24 hours without human contact! Sounds wonderful to me! 🙂
@ QM: The pronghorn experience was pretty awesome. Apparently they are pretty used to human contact and didn’t run away…just ambled on their way down the road at the Petrified Forest National Park. I do remember having relaxed, spontaneous and happy energy that day!
The indoor labyrinth walk is a quieter experience, and more contained due to the confines of the building. Also maybe a little more focused since there aren’t so many distractions of outdoor noises. The twinkling of the votive lights around the perimeter always makes me think of being in a fairy ring and watching the walk is like watching magical choreography.
But the outdoor labyrinth walk is expansive, with a feeling of connectedness to earth, sky, weather, moon, sunset and the sound of birdsong, dogs barking (as well as traffic, people talking in their backyards, etc.) Walking at night by the solar lights is amazing, since the moon can cast SUCH a bright shadow! More in the next post…..
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Lesley, that makes a lot of sense. My experience of walking the outside labyrinth, too, is that it contains all that you mention — the experience of being outside, yet the containment of walking a tight labyrinth pattern and keeping close to the body.
When I slow walk with a whole group of writers in Taos, I do get that feeling of containment, too, that remaining close. But it’s different without the pattern of the labyrinth. Then we usually step outside and slow walk in Taos, then head back into the zendo again. Mix it all up. Different feelings inside and outside.
I have a question for John V on the first season 3 episode of Solitary on hulu.com. Do these people in their isolation pods have a pencil or pen and paper? Or is it completely empty like sensory deprivation? I think I might go nuts if I couldn’t at least write by hand. I might end up pulling Val’s hair out. 8)
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@QM: I look at my surroundings in the outdoor labyrinth, but also look at the sacred items people have left at the center — maybe even leave my own. There is a real signature on the outdoor labyrinth of people traveling their unique paths and using the labyrinth as a way to support that journey. I have not written at the labyrinth center, but I may have to try that!!!
The first time I walked a labyrinth, it was alone, and it was an amazing intense experience with a very personal, concrete insight that literally hit me as I sat in the center. Walking alone allows me more time to take as long as I want to muse and reflect since on the walks I direct, I am usually the last to walk and am conscious that I don’t want to drag out the experience for all those who have walked already and are waiting for me to be done. But the one thing I have felt in a community walk that I haven’t in a solitary walk is a clear illustration of how you often walk side by side with others….and then their path may veer off in one direction and you are “lost” to each other for a while, but then circle back around and are walking close together again at another point.
I am finding this in real life with many old classmates from college, high school and elementary school that I have reconnected with via Facebook. I haven’t talked to many of them for nearly 35 years….and yet, I am experiencing the great joy of our paths converging again in cyberspace and getting to rediscover friendships all over again. It’s quite a wonderful sense of reunion!
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Lesley, very thoughtful response. And it resonates with me. The feeling of walking side by side, then veering off when the labyrinth veers off in a different direction, I did experience that when I walked it with Liz that day. I like how you compare that to people coming in and our of our lives at different times. Also, I had forgotten this, but one day a group of about 5 kids came over the the Carondelet labyrinth while I was walking it. They decided to join in, albeit at different levels of engagement. It was really interesting to watch how they interacted with the structure of the labyrinth.
The Sisters of Carondelet labyrinth is based on the one at Chartres and one boy ran the whole way, from beginning to center, then back out again, passing me along the way. There was a girl that couldn’t stand the structure of it. She gave up after a couple of passes and ran out into the field. Two boys started “play” fighting outside the labyrinth and never entered it. Then there was this one boy who just loved it. He actually slow walked the whole thing and then afterwards we talked about the meaning of the labyrinth. I just found that so fascinating, to see how these children responded.
BTW, I have a Canon Powershot, too, a point and shoot, and it also has a manual setting. Your first photo has inspired me to want to play around with it more on the manual setting. I also have a tripod now so have a few more options with that aspect. Your piece also makes me want to walk the labyrinth again. Liz told me after I got laid off that I should start heading over to walk it again. But thus far, I haven’t. I am finding inspiration in your piece.
You know the labyrinth you helped to build, did you all sketch it out on paper first? Then make it to scale? Or punt on the dimensions. I have some friends who want to put one in their backyard. So I was wondering how you laid it out.
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Hello Lesley,
Slow or Fast….In my music therapy consulting work, I have used the phrase Life Rhythms in discussing this experience of personal and societal timing. You so beautifully give voice to the journey of our energies, unfolding wisdom, and authentic expression with your article. In my work, I have found that the power of the drum and rhythmic music-making attracts individuals because it taps into an authentic inner rhythm that is part of our humanity and spirit. Usually in our drum circles the tendency is for Slow to mean “quiet/soft” and Fast to mean “louder”. The invitation is the discovery that gentle rhythms do not equate with weakness, and power can be expressed subtley with grace, relaxation, harmony, and a volume that allows all voices to be heard. No matter what life rhythm we find ourselves in, we have the opportunity to experience and direct it consciously….This being said, I choose to redirect these life energies and rhythms in to slower, gentler expressions to facilitate a quality of life and presence in my life.
Blessings!
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@QM – The contestants are in their isolation pods alone, but winners of rounds sometimes get to have items from home. I don’t know yet if they get to keep them, or if it’s temporary. One guy is a magician and got to have coins and things so he could do tricks. Other than that, it’s just them and the clothes they wore in. Oh, and anything Val deems they need, but that seems to usually involve a painful endurance test. 🙂
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Hey, I wanted to go back to the topic of solitude and Solitary Confinement. Great article in the latest issue of the New Yorker about the physical and psychological effects of solitary confinement. Did anyone catch it? If not, here’s an NPR interview with the author:
Author Examines Effects of Solitary Confinement
As mentioned in comments here, so much comes down to balance. Balancing solitary and social. As someone who is often with people, I crave more solitude. And more slowing down. But I have single friends who feel they have too much alone time.
Also, just wanted to say that I think it’s adorable that your mom commented, Leslie. QM’s mom comments frequently. I always smile when I see her comments.
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@ QM: I haven’t walked with a group of writers, but that would be cool. What is the “slow walking” you do….the nature of it….it is actually slow pacing or is it slowly recognizing your surroundings, etc.?
We have had small children on the labyrinth…and last spring there was a whole group from Acoma Pueblo and Solomon Schechter school here in Albuquerque to share in a “Listen to the Children” Day of peace. They all walked the labyrinth holding peace flags they had made. Children often seem to treat the labyrinth like play (a nice idea!) and in other situations I’ve seen them run through it as well.
There are some drawbacks to the Powershot A630 but the manual controls are great. I’ve done some lovely close photography, the time-lapse; there is even sepia, black and white and color highlight where only one color shows in a B&W photo. And the manual aperture and shutter controls — you can get some very decent and interesting photos that way. I’m so glad the photos have inspired you to explore with your camera and the piece has inspired you to walk the labyrinth again. It is a very useful tool for times of transition. More in next post…..
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John V thanks for coming back and filling us in on the pods. I see the way it goes now — you have to work for anything you carry in with you. Ugh. So hard to imagine. Without knowing some kind of meditation or ability to retrain the brain, I do think one might go insane.
ybonesy, I’ll have to check out your link on the Solitary Confinement. I think it comes down to balance, too. Since I’ve lost my job, I spend so much more time alone. As a writer, I crave that and can get lost for hours, writing or doing my art. But I’m usually a little dingy by the time Liz gets home and happy for her wild energy. 8)
Sometimes though, I wonder if it’s going to take some serious solitude to get this book written. Or maybe not. Maybe it’s just me being more disciplined about my structure and fiercely guarding the time I do have to work. I think Perry raises an interesting point about the notion that we live in a faster time than our parents and grandparents and part of us has to adapt to that. What do people think about that?
There are times when I buy into it and am really busy. But I get burned out if I keep that pace up. I’m an INFP, too, and have to have alone time to refill the well. I am completely slow, a turtle all the way. Yet I do crave connection to people at times.
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@QM: As for the New Life labyrinth, New Life member Rodema Ashby — a gifted artist and engineer — was able to translate a drawing into a to-scale pattern. We used a device of reeds lashed together with reed poles lashed at intervals to make the lines — then a bunch of teens and volunteers lined up, stuck the reed end into the dirt and walked around in a circle to draw the lines. (I have pictures of this I can send you). But there are other resources that have kits you can use to draw them as well — and a local labyrinth friend who is sending me some plans a friend who built a labyrinth in HIS backyard used.
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@Giselle: you make a good point about soft not being slow and loud not being fast in drumming. I have experienced that!!!! Maybe it’s the same that gentle isn’t frail and aggressive isn’t strong. Wonderful reminder! Thank you for sharing your insight with us!
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The slow walking we do with Natalie in Taos is actually a form of the Zen Buddhist concept of kinhin, a walking meditation practiced between sitting meditation and the Writing Practice she has taught us. It’s not as strict as Zen where I think you take a step after each full breath, but similar. We walk slowly, clockwise around the room in silence, noticing the connection of the breath to the bottom of our feet. Very calming and centering. Also helps ground the Writing Practice. But it is different than walking a labyrinth pattern.
Wow, thanks for the info on building the labyrinth. I will pass it on to my friends. That sounds really complicated but pretty cool with the reed poles. That seems like a great practice to build one from scratch. Wonderful.
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@ Ybonesy: I’ll have to check out the solitary confinement interview. I have two minds about this. I have often thought that it could be a huge blessing to be in prison for an extended amount of time but be able to write and read. Ahhhh (Just to be clear, Universe, I am NOT ASKING for this opportunity!!!! :-)). On the other hand, about 9 years ago, I calculated how much time I spent alone (working in a home office) and was around 92-96 percent. That was a little TOO much solitary for healthy functioning, methinks.
And yet….I wonder if I didn’t have any other input if I could finish MY book too! Or if I would come up with distractions. Sometimes the distractions cause a crisis that intensifies focus (I think many procrastinators are very familiar with this). The key is to develop that focus without NEEDING to cause a crisis.
So, yes, balance is key. Yin Yang. But I do think we have a mode that dominates — whether you come from a faster mode or a slower mode. I definitely come from a slower mode in many things, but if you ask some folks — such as John V — he might disagree. I get panicked when I have one of those brain fog days and I just can’t get sharp, quick focus on a challenge….but if my mind is TOO sharp and quick (one reason I don’t drink caffeine), I can’t settle down and think either. So, there we are, back to balance.
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@ ybonesy: It IS adorable that my mom commented. She embraced the world of computing shortly after I moved to NM, and we keep in touch with email a LOT. She is a master of finding animations and illustrations for her email in a way that mystifies me. It is a very special feeling to have her support.
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My favorite experience walking a labyrinth was an outdoor night walk alone during a full moon. The traffic was minimal. The birds and neighborhood dogs were all sleeping. It was a nice, quiet, contemplative time. A full moon here in the clear New Mexican skies is akin to having a yard light on. I remember being able to see the path clearly and wondering why I has such a dark shadow in the middle of the night.
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Maybe it comes down to binary language – 1s and 0s and off and on. Maybe that duality of fast/slow is absolutely necessary for the wave of life….it creates the undulations that move us from one experience to the next. I wonder if any of us are TRUE Fast or Slow purists….ONLY being slow or ONLY being fast.
I do know I feel guiltier if I think I am being “too much” of a slow slug, where I feel “productive” if I am doing many many things in a fast way – societal expectations, I’m sure. It’s when I start to lose my breath because I am rushing from one thing to the next I need to pay attention to balancing it.
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Sounds beautiful, John V!
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Lesley, I wanted to come back and comment on what ybonesy said about your Mom, too. It is wonderful to have that kind of support from your Mom. I always smile, too, when my mother comments on red Ravine. Or when Liz’s Mom comments. There is just something about Mom’s. 8) And many times, they have had to learn about computers later in life. I think it’s great that they have embraced the new technology. Sounds like your Mom has a lot of fun with it.
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@QM: She does. She keeps in touch with all HER high school friends, me, looks up things she is interested in.
I really appreciate she made the leap to technology (she’s even on Verizon FIOS, which is technology we don’t even have here in NM!) which confuses folks my age, but she just plugs along, asks her neighbor’s son for help sometimes and is pretty regular at keeping up with it all.
Having that connection, and her interest in the writing is a blessing. Writers reveal a part of themselves they may not normally do sitting around the proverbial kitchen table, so I am very grateful that she is interested in know that part of who I am, and gives voice to some of who she is with her comments. I’m glad you enjoy her comments too!
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@QM: You might want to check this out for World Wide Labyrinth Day on May 2. I copied this from the WWLD group on Facebook — perhaps this is near you in the Twin Cities.
The recently acquired labyrinth at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis, MN (http://www.centralmpls.org/serve/prayer/ourlabyrinth.php) will be open for walking on World Labyrinth Day between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
This idea – for those interested — is to “walk as one at 1 pm” local time to create a “wave” of labyrinth walks encircling the globe. Some groups will have different activities to support or in addition to the walk. Just wanted to pass this on!
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@QM: Here’s some information on how to make a labyrinth for your friend’s backyard:
http://www.labyrinthsociety.org/make-a-labyrinth
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I’ve met naturally slow people—turtles like QM—and I know I’m not a naturally slow person. But I’ve also met people who are in constant motion, maybe even with a touch of ADHD, and I know I’m not that either. But I do think I tend to be more on the fast end of the spectrum than the slow one.
For example, I can get a lot done. I don’t labor over jobs, and I can move quickly when I am in a working mode. I don’t seem to need to rest much between tasks. I also think quickly. I get frustrated by too much detail. Once I’ve gotten something, I don’t want to belabor the point.
But are those fast traits? For me it’s easier to think in terms of slowing down or speeding up. Usually I need to slow down, and I like to get slow. That probably means I don’t do it as my normal tempo. I rarely tell myself that I need to speed up, unless I’ve been procrastinating. But that’s different.
It’s an interesting question, slow or fast?, when you truly ask yourself which is your dominant tempo. It also makes me think of the differences between Ann Patchett and Lucy Grealy, with Patchett being the Ant and Grealy the Grasshopper. I wrote a post about that dynamic [LINK]. Grealy seemed faster in tempo than Patchett, and Patchett more willing to cut away the distractions and get down to the core—writing.
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@ybonesey: Wow! great post (I like the drawing too) and exploration of ant-ness and grasshopper-ness. Now this is something to think about. My traits seem to be more Ann-like, though I have my Lucy moments, or even weeks.
Some of my plodding slow nature may come from worry (however I intend to give it up) and making sure I have all bases covered for something to turn out “right.” Others I admire just roll with a situation, radiate their trusting, confident energy into it and all is well. I have noticed that when I trust, too, things tend to flow just fine.
I have noticed that when I am regular about meditation practice, I experience the sense of having time to think in the midst of activities that require decision making. It’s as if my mind can take a breath, survey the situation and respond, rather than that knee-jerk, more panicky feeling of having to react. The time expenditure may be exactly the same, but the meditation-fueled responsiveness FEELS better, less rushed, more considered, full of more breathing room.
And yet, I have noticed a sense of joy (maybe it’s an adrenaline rush) when I am a fast flow place, bouncing from idea to idea, one thought sparking a connection with another and a true brainstorm brewing in the most productive way. So apparently there is room for both; though I prefer to be grounded in a place where there is room/time to breathe vs. the value placed on “fast-paced” routines or schedules. Perhaps the fast flow is the necessary seasoning to the rich and nourishing measured pace of how my inner self experiences life.
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@ QM: I’ve seen the Zen kind of slow walking actually practiced on the labyrinth, around the path, so the two can be combined!
I think there may be simpler ways than the reed contraption Rodema came up with to draw the labyrinth lines (but which was very natural and connected to earth), but actually that worked very well and laid in perfect lines where we wanted them. Other volunteers followed behind, filling in with cobblestones, so we had a firm outline of the lines we wanted.
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@ Lesley: A stake in the center with a length of rope or twine will also give you a perfect circle. Mark the rope at the appropriate place, and walk around the stake with the rope pulled tight. Have someone else mark the ground as the rope moves.
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@ John V: Great idea! And simple! Thanks!
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How wonderful Lesley! This resonates so with me and what my spiritual/emotional quest is. I believe that the slower I go, the more perfect everything seems to be. Carlos Castenada said, “To be awake is to walk the border between control and abandon.”, and, that is exactly where slowing down puts us. Looking forward to the next labyrinth, Paul
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what perfect synchronicity! your words touched my heart just at that moment when i was beginning to slow down and enjoy. . . i could have moved right back into my busyness, but you helped me choose slow over fast and as a result, i’ve had a wonderful evening. thank you!
alison
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Sorry for the late post. Have not read any other posts but…
Great piece! I’ve been slow my whole life! I am famous (in my family) for it. Now as I approach 50 (now 48) I love the slow.
Growing up in small town New Mexico, I enjoyed long walks to school. I found it much more pleasant than a bumpy, noisy school bus. I’d haul my French horn over my shoulder, and walk 2 miles cross-country which included two rugged hills, to reach the school. I got to see birds, rabbits, and sometimes (but very rarely back-in-those-days) deer.
When working on the Navajo Indian Reservation before moving overseas, when coming back from Albuquerque, I used to get off I-40 as soon as possible to slow down on old Route 66. I used to take to long way into Gallup. I began to hate I-40 because it represented all that was wrong…things going too fast.
Now I love walking places in my Venezuelan neighborhood (but you got to have the radar up…it can be a dangerous place). I like shopping in the local market, I like buying my chicken alive where it is killed and cleaned on the spot (sounds brutal but its more humane than a Tyson’s plant in Arkansas), I like buying fish the same way, from the people who caught them.
I like walking to work. I often turn down rides in order to walk.
Now I ride a single speed mountain bike. It is sometimes slower than a standard geared mountain bike, but I like it that way.
And next year…I plan a trans-America (coast to coast) bicycle tour, a journey that can be made in a few hour by commercial jet, but takes weeks on a bicycle.
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@ Paul: I love that Carlos Castenada quote! Thank you for sharing it. Slowing down is savoring, letting the full flavors of life run across your tongue, not gulping them down in anticipation of the next bite.
Not sure if you saw it in the comments, but there is a World Labyrinth Day Walk on Saturday May 2 at 1 pm at New Life Presbyterian Church. The idea is to “walk as One at 1 pm in your time zone,” creating a wave of walking around the planet. Look forward to seeing you then!
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@ Alison: so glad you had a chance to choose the slow and let the busyness be there tomorrow! Blessings on the rest of your evening!
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@ Mimbresman: Thank you so much for sharing your experience. What a wonderful way to ease into your school day (and healthful too!), with a walk in nature before sitting in a classroom for 8 or so hours.
It sounds like you have been true to you slow, savoring nature in all the seasons of your life and now in Venezuela where you are in tune with the rhythm of life, death, where food comes from. I would find it hard to get used to having my chicken killed on the spot, but that IS where chicken comes from, not from shrink-wrapped containers on the grocery store shelves. I have a friend whose husband used to go on a fishing trip each year and catch his food to remind himself that we need to feed ourselves by taking the life of other living creatures — you are not removed from that reality. (BTW, I drove past the Tyson plant in Arkansas in December and thought that the next time I think I am having a bad day, I can remember of the fate of the poor chickens bred to live in the plant and die for food. Not much of a life at all.)
Maybe you will think of posting a blog or story of your trans-America trip; I’d love to read your impressions and observations as you take the long, slow way through the country and your own experience.
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Leslie, Since you mentioned it…I’ve been blogging much to the encouragement of ybonesy. There’s a link to it on the rh margin.
It is sometimes hard to find interesting things to write about, but just posting little observations that I make here.
Here’s a link to August of last year when I did some interesting riding and a small bike tour in the USA. http://mimbresman.blogspot.com/2008_08_01_archive.html
Enjoy your walks! BTW have you gone out to Chaco Canyon? Great slow walking out there on that rim overlooking the canyon. I also recommend the Bisti Badlands south of Farmington on NM 371.
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Lesley….I was pleased to read some of the comments regarding my posting about your story. Just remember to always keep a little of the ‘child within’ as you younger ones get older….eager to learn and accept changes. You certainly have some thoughtful friends who share an interest in each other. God bless!
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Lesley,
Yes! an inspired and inspiring writing. I love the them and the words–slow. You have us shift down, and down again. “Mad as hell . . . and not mad,” just smacks us with the paradox of “fast”–it isn’t!! Fast only gets us nowhere, fast. Congrats on a lovely piece. Important and spiritual and a reminder, a reminder to go slow, when to go fast is to forget. There is so much to marvel at. I love your atending pfotoos and your ovbvious and shared joy. Thanks for being you. Your labyrinth is working; you have internalized it; now you can talk it, write it. Great essay.
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MM, wow, that’s a freaky photo of Boston Hill near Silver City–the one that shows you or someone riding over a humungous hole in the ground that only has what looks like chicken wire netting. Jim popped in to see if I was out of my meeting (had a two-hour meeting with Vietnam that ended at 11p) so I got to show it to him. BTW, my fear of heights would not allow me to ride over that. I have a hard time walking over subway grate covers in big cities, and even cattle guards can give me pause. (Not really, but thought I throw that in there. Moooo…)
Off to bed, but also wanted to say, WOW, Lesley, you have a strong community. The comments have been fabulous! I hope to meet some of the labyrinth walkers on the next walk, assuming I’m in town and all.
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yes ybonesy that’s me in that pic. That net is made of stainless steel cable about the diameter of your finger. It is like riding across a trampoline…a very strange sensation. The shaft is about 50 or 60 ft deep.
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Lesley, thanks for the links to The Labyrinth Society’s page (LINK) for how to make a labyrinth. That’s a great site. You know, I had added their World-Wide Labyrinth Locator (LINK) to our sidebar under Tools We Use quite a while ago. But I had not been there in a while to see what was going on.
BTW, that Labyrinth Locator is great for anyone wanting to find the closest labyrinth to where they live. Last time I checked, people would register their labyrinths (most are public, some are even private and you can make appointments to walk them) and it showed hours of operation, what type of labyrinth it is, and sometimes even has a photograph of the labyrinth. Pretty cool.
Lesley, I didn’t know about the May 2nd date for the World Labyrinth Day Walk. So thanks for the info. Also the link to the downtown Minneapolis church, Central Lutheran. It’s one of those huge turn-of-the-century Gothic-style churches and would be a great place to walk.
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@ Mimbresman: Thank you for the link to your blog. I agree, that photo of you riding over the “chicken wire” covered hole is chilling. Wow. I look forward to reading more about your rides.
@Merimee: thank you for the labyrinth comment; my meditation this morning — after listening to Thich Nhat Hahn on NPR — was about internalizing peace. Your comment fills me with joy!
@ Mom: not sure how eager I am to accept changes, but when I can come into them slowly and with time to breathe, I can accept them more gracefully.
@ybonesy: It has been a wonderful discussion! Thank you for the opportunity to share ideas and then develop them more in the comments. I hope to see you on May 2!
@QM: Thanks for making the labyrinth links accessible to your community. Another one is http://paxworks.com/.
Lots of good resources there – and they can build labyrinths as well.
@ EVERYONE!!! I am so grateful for your interest, support and participation in the discussion. Thank you for blessing me and all the readers yesterday with your thoughts. And thank you to redRavine.com and the wonderful opportunity it provides for writers, artists, photographers. It’s been a pleasure!!!!
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There are so many comments here, it might be a record – just an odd thing, my 59th b-day is this week, and I think this is the 59th comment…kind of an odd number…as a birthday, it is certainly just short of anti-climactic.
Anyway, I appreciate very much the reminder to slow down. My husband is always reminding me of the clattering and clacking compulsion I am seduced by; he is the advocate of slow. I need to unplug now and then but it is truly addictive to be hooked in to the clamor and the drama. My family (adult children and cousins) are on facebook and they are on their blackberrys and in constant chatter – it is an energetic sinkhole.
I notice kids in passing cars now all the time, looking down. Never looking out the window, they have their eyes in their laps. And mom is on the cell, driving and talking.
Maybe a new mantra for the times – Turn OFF, Tune In, Drop out…….
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@ Chickenlil: Happy Birthday! And congratulations on your synchronicitous 59th post. That is an auspicious beginning to your 59th year.
You make a good point about the “addictive” nature of clamor and drama. Adrenaline feels good (most times) racing through our veins, helping us to feel powerful, important and maybe even invulnerable. I am very familiar with this experience. But I also find it doesn’t change much — people pretty much do what they are going to do whether I am a whirling dervish about it or not.
What all the connection with technology tells me is something interesting : inner experience apparently is more seductive than that which is before our senses. The messages on cells, blackberries, etc. hook into the inner fabric of relationships users have, fire the synapses, and create individual versions of reality. Kind of like the Matrix come to life. And yet there also is a sensual world that also can create reality — touch, taste, smell, sound, sight…your observation is that we are moving through the physical, sensual world without really being engaged in it. More food for thought! Thank you!
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You are onto something, Lesley – I think there is a jealousy issue that comes up in my relationship, because I definitely participate in a multi-layered, intimate and compelling universe of cyber-space and sometimes it takes me away from the present moment. I try not to let it dominate my thoughts when I am away from the computer – it comes down to mindfulness. When you eat, eat. When you walk, walk. (Thich Nat Hahn?)
And when you are on the computer, wail away at those keys, like there’s no tomorrow!
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My girls have a relatively healthy relationship with the physical world. Right now both are outside playing in the small ditch, making boats, and watching Jim irrigate. But I have to say, every day they use the laptop, the DSL, and the Wii. Not all every day, but at least one.
But, as you say, Lesley, we were into TVs. I came home from school and from that moment until Mom called us to come eat dinner, I saw every series on television. We got up to grab potato chips and a Shasta soda, and that was about it.
The thing I worry about most with respect to my kids’ computer usage is the state of their spine, to tell the truth. I’m afraid they’ll have old lady humps by the time they’re 25. Seriously. So I kind of stay on them about keeping a straight back.
Lesley, not that this conversation is over, but I just want to say how much we’ve enjoyed having you on red Ravine. We’ve talked about other pieces; I’m looking forward to those. And in the mean time, please check in often. We’d love to hear your thoughts any other topics that inspire you.
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Happy B, ‘lil!!! I didn’t know you were Aries. This blog is Aries, btw. 8)
Jim meant to make it to your place today, but he couldn’t leave the irrigation going. But he’s happy; the irrigation is done. He’s off for a bike ride to pick up the mail.
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I haven’t had a chance to read through all the comments as yet but the post is wonderful.
By chance a blogfriend was recalling her experience at Chartres which she had written about here:
http://xfacta.blogspot.com/2008/05/chartres-cathedral.html
Thanks Lesley for the reminder to slow down and that fixing ourselves is an inside job.
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@chickenlil: Ha….I like that image of wailing away on the keys of the computer…do what you are doing when do are doing it! That is the challenge in life drawing– draw what you SEE, not what you THINK you see. Same thing with being present….do what you are doing when you are doing it. Wise words….thank you!
@ybonesy — have you thought about a Balans chair http://sitincomfort.com/kneechairs.html or an exercise ball for your girls to sit on while at the computer? Trying to keep centered on those theoretically is good for the core muscles….just a thought!
I think the next generation is better adapted and the noise and input doesn’t upset them the way it does us. I know playing my stereo when I was in high school used to drive my mom crazy…this is a different form of that technology. And young minds seem to be able to take it all in better. Maybe will some coaching in inner enrichment methods like meditation, yoga, labyrinth walking, prayer, chanting, drumming, etc., young ones — and the rest of us for that matter — can achieve that balance that has been discussed here…between fast/slow; technology/nature, etc.
Thanks for the warm welcome to redRavine. I’ve loved it and loved seeing the discussion grow, morph and develop over these two days. I’ll work on the other pieces and I will certainly check in often!
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It has taken me a few days before I got to read your piece. The reason not being that I am living slowly, on the contrary it is due to the fast pace I’m caught on. Too many things at the same time that clutter my life and thoughts. So finally I slowed down and got to read your “thoughts”. Very nice, I have always enjoyed your writing very much.
I have read “The Power of Now” and I found it quite helpful and interesting. I should read it again. Much love
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Lesley, I love and remember my own tripping water. I connect to your piece — you write so that I remember specific experiences in my own life. (How in the world do you do that?)I think you are I aren’t just “sisters,” but perhaps on parallel journeys.
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@ Inma — I understand completely! Glad you were able to find the time to breathe and read the piece….I think I would do well to re-read it periodically myself so I can remember the beauty of the slow.
“The Power of Now” is one of the books by my bedside — next to Walden by Thoreau. Walden called to me to read it again as an adult. It is SO contemporary – I was shocked – in a good way. As a “break” from it, I am reading the Tolle book …I read “A New Earth” last year and I’m just getting to TPON now. Always a good reminder to breathe in this moment.
Hugs to you my friend!
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@Amy: I am delighted that the energy of the piece evoked your own memories in such a palpable way. Thank you for that input!
I think we may be Anam Cara – in the Celtic understanding — “soul friends.” What a sacred and joyous privilege to journey parallel and intertwining paths with you!
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Lesley,
Thanks for the piece. By the sheer number of comments, it is clear many of us resonate with your message.
I can’t stand being busy, though hundreds of times I have made myself busy so that I wouldn’t feel out of it or left behind. I notice how often people say to me, “Keepin’ busy?” If I say yes, they’re satisfied. If I say, “Oh, I try not to be busy,” they look very uncomfortable.
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Lesley, a great piece of writing. Walking the labyrinth has meant many things to me. The images you posted with the piece added a great deal to the overall picture and the writing was strong.
Glad to hear you left the “well-oiled machine” phase for a quieter life in New Mexico. Blessings on your journey.
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@Teri: Your comment about “keeping busy” is so true — as if it were a badge of honor. And yet, I know this well. I recall the MANY MANY times people have asked me how I am and I have answered, “Busy.” Now that I am a little more conscious, I think of what an awful answer that is. One friend once said to me that her life was “full.” That “feels” better….rich, ample, abundant, but not frenetic, as is the encouraged tendency in the 2009 world we live in. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
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@ Bob: Hi Bob – thanks so much for your encouraging comments. It is nice to let the breezes, sunshine and measured pace of my slow walking oil my “machine” and my soul these days.
Bob, where have you walked the labyrinth?
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@ Norm: Thank you for your post on April 2! I missed it the first time around. So glad I found it and got to read your blogfriend’s labyrinth experience at Chartes. Wonderful.
In my paid professional life, I am an editor of a magazine for tile and stone contractors. Seeing the photos of the Chartres labyrinth brought to mind the incredibly artistry and precision of cutting the stone and installing it in the floor those many centuries ago. And the wonder of it enduring these many years, worn down and polished smooth by many feet passing over it during the centuries.
I’m so glad you enriched the comment stream with your sharing and your insights!
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Thanks Lesley – I’m glad you enjoyed sharing in Kel’s experience. That would be a trip of a lifetime and a landmark to behold. Walking the walk……
(I think while I was writing my first comment you were replying to the couple previous; same time.)
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Lesley, been meaning to come back and tell you that the very day that you mentioned the exercise ball chair, I took my daughter and a friend to get their hair cut, and I noticed the person doing nails was sitting in an exercise ball chair. We ended up staying after hours, so I sat in her chair. It was so comfortable!
Also, I am guilty of allowing my sense of self-worth to map to my productivity and output (reflecting now on the thread that Teri brought about how we tend to like hearing that people are busy). BUT, you also have to understand that I come from a place of procrastinating my personal passions, writing and art in particular. And it’s hard to just let everything else fall by the wayside, so part of my capacity to focus on writing and painting depends on my ability to keep other parts of my life afloat. Hence, I am just plain busy. And so I rejoice whenever I am extra productive, because then I know I’ve not wasted time procrastinating but rather am using time wisely.
Maybe it’s not a workload issue as much as a multi-tasking issue. Even if I’m doing a lot, I always feel like I’m doing it more purposefully if I’m taking my time with each thing, being present to each project, and taking breaks from the noise of electronics and cell phones. Hmmm…will continue to reflect on this.
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@ Norm: yes, loved Kel’s experience…good photos! Thanks so much for sharing.
@YB: The exercise ball chair is so serendipitous! I love things like this! Thanks for telling me about it!
I like your comments about being present to your projects. I don’t think any of us on this thread advocate rolling up in a ball and doing nothing (except for maybe an afternoon nap here and there!) but I think it’s the pressure of feeling like you need to or SHOULD be doing something else when you are doing one thing that is damaging. And of course, there is a different quality of satisfaction or even peace that comes when you feel you have invested your time well and not frittered it away.
I wonder if the frittering comes from overwhelm and not knowing WHERE to put one’s effort first.
At a meeting last night, I made the observation that “multi-tasking” is bull**** – and truly a destructive myth perpetuated by a society that wants to sell us products to help us “be more productive” by multitasking. Yes, one can talk on the phone and cook dinner or fold laundry or dust, or drive and talk on the phone (yikes!) or text (double yikes!!!) whatever….but creative tasks that require full attention can ONLY be done one at a time. We have not evolved beyond the ability to be able to qualitatively do one thing at a time. I feel more peaceful when I accept that limitation instead of clinging to the mistaken belief that I am superhuman and can do all at once and do it well. I can do one thing at a time and do that well, and then go on to the next thing at a time and do THAT well….and so on.
Maybe that’s the essence of being slow. But, sometimes I forget. 🙂
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[…] Slow Or Fast? […]
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