I am a hurrier – if there is such a word. I hurry through almost everything. I am all about keeping time and not be late for anything. Even when I don’t have much to do at work in the morning, I still hurry through the morning. I hurry my children and spouse, exclaiming that we are running late; when in actual fact we still have time.
Then I stopped one day and asked myself: what am I in hurry for? Am I hurrying through life? When I look at my eldest daughter, I realized four years have passed by so fast. Where did the time go? Have I been hurrying through everything that I didn’t have the time to savor the moment and thoroughly enjoy what I’ve been blessed with? The moments pass by so fast. Hurrying stifles the ability to pause and prevents us from taking in all there is around us.
When I catch myself hurrying, I tell myself to slow down and enjoy the moment. These moments may never come back. Life is in constant flux. We just have to learn to ride with the waves with full awareness and mindfulness. Only then the miracle of life can be experienced to its full extent. Only then we will feel fulfilled and contented having spent meaningful moments with people we care while being fully present. Only then we can experience an enriched life. Thich Nhat Hanh’s famous saying is that ‘the present moment is a wonderful moment’. When we don’t slow down and look around us, we can miss some of the wonderful moments that life has to offer. Even grieving through difficult moments should not be done in a hurry. We must pause and allow space within us to embrace whatever difficult situations that we are in. Only then we will be able to heal wholly and let go.
But breaking the habit of hurry is as difficult as breaking any other bad habits. This habit of hurrying had been with me for ever since I can remember. I still catch myself running around hurriedly; but I have also learned to stop and say: why hurry? Slow down; cherish this moment to its full glory; and live in the now. When I catch myself rushing for time, I repeat this mantra —-> I am timeless…
My life experiences are the beautiful testaments to the fullness of my life. I want to cherish every experience that comes into my life. To do that I need to slow down and create space within me. The following picture was taken during one of my drives when I decided to slow down and take in the beauty around me. I remember it being a glorious day surrounded with lush greenery.
My Journal 