For fast-acting relief, try slowing down. ~ Lily Tomlin
Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going to fast-you also miss the sense of where you are going and why. ~ Eddie Cantor
Slow down you’re doing fine. You can’t e everything you want to be before your time. ~ Billy Joel
This weekend I slowed down. I really had not planned on slowing down, I always have work to do (the joys of being an educator, the work never ends, it follows you home every night and weekend!) Yet, my body slowed me down anyhow. I slept until 10:30 a.m. and then slowly moved around the house, drank a cup of coffee and made my girls an early lunch. By 12:30 p.m. I was ready for a nap – which lasted until after 4:30 p.m…… my day spent in bed. I felt a bit guilty, as I really do have things I need to accomplish. On the other hand, I run around so much during the week that I do need a weekend when I can stay in my pajamas all day and allow my body to recover from the race that is the week.
It is healthy to slow down, and even necessary to slow down. This is something that many of us do not allow ourselves to do, but is critical for physical and mental health. You are not weak if you allow yourself to take the breaks that you need – you are strong – and you are modeling healthy self-care behaviors for your children.
Today, 179 days ’til 40, I will remind myself that it is good to slow down – perhaps if more people understood this the world would be less grumpy.
~400daystil40
Fortuitous Forty!!! 
mskatykins
August 26, 2012 at 00:05
I think the most important thing to do, especially as a teacher. is to listen to your body. In this job, it’s so easy to get sick! I don’t listen to my body and slow down nearly often enough. You must have been needing a rest and it’s good that you took it! Don’t feel guilty! 🙂
400daystil40
August 26, 2012 at 23:05
Such good advice, but so hard to do, isn’t it? Like you, I also do not slow down as much as I need to and I tend to regret it. Sadly, I rarely do anything productive on the weekends because I end up working so hard during the week (minimum of ten hour days) that I am useless by the weekend. I hope to one day learn a better balance.
mskatykins
August 27, 2012 at 19:21
I hope you do get a better balance, because it’s really easy for work just to take over, you know?
400daystil40
August 27, 2012 at 22:13
Yes, I know all too well! 🙂
buckwheatsrisk
August 26, 2012 at 00:20
Very true! Wait until you hit 40 lol 😉
400daystil40
August 26, 2012 at 23:02
Oh no!!!! I am getting so old so quickly!!! 🙂
buckwheatsrisk
August 26, 2012 at 23:04
bawhahaha! 😉 wait a min…i’m older..heyyy
400daystil40
August 26, 2012 at 23:06
🙂 Yes, you are!!!!!
buckwheatsrisk
August 26, 2012 at 23:08
well this turn of events seem somewhat unfair!! 😉
walkwiththerabbi
August 26, 2012 at 01:01
Want to go faster and accomplish more? Slow down. It’s absolutely imperative that we be in synch with DIVINE DESIGN! Not behind (by going too slow) nor ahead (where most of society spends and therefore wastes, much of its life!). Much healthier on multiple levels, to simply be in the NOW, the PRESENT moment and to be in a spirit of surrender. Oh yea – great post! Alan
400daystil40
August 26, 2012 at 22:58
Such a great point you make – indeed, we accomplish more not when we push ourselves, but when we are able to give ourselves permission to slow down. This is a bit counterintuitive for many, but a truth that we need to know. And, as you say, we also need to be aware of the present moment…. these are both things that I need to challenge myself constantly to remember.
Anna Scott Graham
August 26, 2012 at 01:05
I heartily second this post! I was just toast last night, and fell asleep before eight p.m. Which was good, as my youngest was sick, and I cared for her early this morning. But now she’s better, and all I plan for the afternoon is not very much at all!! 🙂
400daystil40
August 26, 2012 at 22:57
Thank you so much, Anna. It is so important for us to take those moments and rest when our body tells us too – if we do not then we are likely to make ourselves sick.
Alicea Jones
August 26, 2012 at 01:33
Thank you so much for the reminder. In my race to accomplish great things, I miss the greatness around me.
400daystil40
August 26, 2012 at 22:56
Yes, it is so easy to forget to pause and see the beauty around us as we are busy running the race – we can start to feel like hamsters on a wheel – not a way to live life.
thelastsongiheard
August 26, 2012 at 08:27
I’d like to offer a related quote… kind of a tribute to Neil Armstrong, who died today… although I think it was Buzz Aldrin who said it LOL
When the Apollo 11 astronauts returned to the Moon, they spent some time in quarantine. A pointless gesture, but anyway… during this time, they often had the world’s media camped outside, taking photos etc and it was during one of those times when Buzz turned to Neil and said, “you know, we missed the whole thing!”
🙂
thelastsongiheard
August 26, 2012 at 08:27
sorry, meant to say, returned *from* the Moon LOL
400daystil40
August 26, 2012 at 22:55
:):)
400daystil40
August 26, 2012 at 22:56
I LOVE this quote and thank you so much for sharing this as we remember him……
thelastsongiheard
August 26, 2012 at 23:08
Yeah, it’s almost as good as “Good luck, Mr Gorsky” or whatever his name was LOL
Another Thousand Words
August 26, 2012 at 17:59
Great advice, 400!
400daystil40
August 26, 2012 at 22:55
Thank you so much, Another Thousand Words! 🙂
The Quiet Borderline (back in hospital)
August 26, 2012 at 19:34
Here here. How about like siestas in Spain?! Maybe we need a few hours in the afternoon just to chill out a bit. Or at least, like you did – big time chill out! Good for you. You deserve it! X
400daystil40
August 26, 2012 at 22:53
Oh how I would love a job that allowed for a siesta!!! A bit impossible working at a school, but what a wonderful fantasy! I also would not mind a job that had no siesta but started about three hours later than mine does (10:00 instead of 7:00) – I would gladly stay three hours later in the day in order to get those three extra hours of sleep in the morning!!!
viveka
August 27, 2012 at 00:27
Good for you .. if you slept that much – you where in big need of it .. and why feel guilty – glad you passed that stage quickly. You need sleep and you toke it. Well done.
400daystil40
August 27, 2012 at 22:31
Yes, my problem is this can happen every weekend and then my life is reduced to nothing but work and sleep! 🙂
Spider42
August 27, 2012 at 12:48
Here here!!
People don’t slow down enough these day – some by default (and they have my deepest sympathy!) and some by choice (they need their heads examined!).
AND! Bonus points for quoting Vienna, one of my all-time favourite songs… more philosophically deep and human and lovely than most folks would realise. 🙂
Cheers.
400daystil40
August 27, 2012 at 22:27
Very true! Thanks for the bonus points! I will see if I can get more of them with future quotes! 🙂
heylookawriterfellow
August 27, 2012 at 16:21
When I take my son to an amusement park, I am always amazed by the families that exhaust themselves racing from one attraction to another. By the end of the day the kids are crying and the parents are furious.
It never fails to bewilder me. Maybe I didn’t get the memo, but I always thought the objective was to have fun.
400daystil40
August 27, 2012 at 22:27
Ah, what a great point! I see this too! We took the girls to Disneyland a little over a year ago (it is not far from my mom’s home). We spent about eight hours there and left early afternoon – people were SHOCKED that we did not run ourselves ragged and stay there until late at night. It was a day that was not crowded, we walked on almost all the rides with little wait, we had fun and headed home – tired, but not completely exhausted and miserable…. it is a hard lesson to learn, isn’t it? I think we enjoyed our day much more because we allowed ourselves to do this. 🙂
amberwild
August 27, 2012 at 18:08
I need to slow down more. I’m 8 months pregnant, and I hate having to slow or stop activities, like major house cleaning. I always say to my husband, “I’m pregnant, not handicapped!” Yet I find my body making me slow down anyway. I should just give in and do it 🙂
400daystil40
August 27, 2012 at 22:24
Yes, there are times when our body does not cooperate and does indeed force us to slow down – pregnancy is a good reason! It is important for you to take care of yourself while pregnant (I know, easier said than done at times) but so very important. I wish you the best for the rest of your pregnancy and your delivery!
evilnymphstuff
August 30, 2012 at 15:32
That’s a great advice! Slowing down, taking your time… it’s all we need to have a better look at life 🙂
400daystil40
August 30, 2012 at 20:38
Definitely – I wish I did it more often!
simon7banks
September 1, 2012 at 23:13
“Death is Nature’s way of telling you to slow down” – quote of obvious wry humour but uncertain origin, thought to be American in origin and to relate to a fashion in the 1930s for adverts saying that various commercial remedies were nature’s way of doing something.
400daystil40
September 2, 2012 at 16:12
Thanks for the laugh!!!
Stefanie Neumann
January 6, 2013 at 02:40
Wonderfully said – I am absolutely with you on this one. Thank you for reminding!
400daystil40
January 6, 2013 at 16:00
Thank you!