Finding Your Groove

I’m a doer. Some of my greatest pleasures are meeting goals, completing new projects and starting new ones. And I do them very, very well...or else I wouldn’t bother. It’s not progress if it isn’t done properly, is it?

Some days I’m the Tasmanian Devil on a sugar high, and I like it that way.

Lately I have had several thoughtful people suggest that I slow down, take a break, or get some rest. While the thought is kind, the idea is completely foreign to me. Slow down? Why?

The very idea of “relaxing” by doing nothing, or only doing one thing at a time makes me anxious. And I’m not an anxiety-prone person...that’s how horrible the concept is to me. *Shudder*

I believe we each have our own speed, our own rate of life that works for us. Some people do things very slowly and deliberately with great thought. It suits them to check the details several times and to only move forward when the stars align. Should I need surgery, this is the person I want slicing me up.

Others move in a less direct path towards their goal preferring the scenic route and stopping to smell the roses along the way. Sometimes carefully contemplating the roses for hours on end if the mood strikes. I am blessed to have many of these people in my life. Their hearts are very large and their gentle view of the world is refreshing.

There are millions of other people who move at differing speeds, each path distinct from the other, and each one perfectly suited to the traveler.

Yes, there are times when we have to adjust our speed to conform to the world. Every evening that I have to sit in class for five very long hours, I am painfully aware of the pressure society places upon us to move along at a pace that feels so unnatural. So I conform to the standards when I have to. Otherwise, I’m off like a giddy toddler.

Though I meditate regularly and find solace and peace in the quiet moments of the day when it is just me and my God, the rest of the time I am off chasing my dreams.

And I like it.

No matter what your speed, I support your right to define it and run your own race. Life is far more interesting that way. In those moments when the world demands you to walk at its pace, remember that it is temporary and soon you’ll be galloping down the road finding your own groove.

Maybe we’ll meet along the way and we can share a cup of coffee or piece of cake. And I promise we won’t have to eat on the run.