Limping Ahead .... Leaping Ahead

I am the snail. I love being the snail. I take life very slowly. I talk very slowly, I don't walk I stroll, when I drive I am at the speed limit. I am like this on purpose. Why rush through life? Why be there quicker? I want to stop and smell the flowers, I want to notice the small things. I want to see the colours that the world is showing me. I want to puase and hear people. I want to drive and smell the fresh cut grass. I want to breathe.

I like to think of myself as a runner. I've finished several 10K races and I've participated in and finished one 10-miler. These feats are nothing compared to the miles upon miles that other runners have already accomplished. Still, I consider them as achievements in themselves, quite akin to how I deal with life. I prefer running longer distances because they enable me to pace myself. When I'm feeling a little tired, I don't stop running but continue at a slower pace. The same thing with life. I believe that although the destination is what keeps me going, the journey in itself inspires me to move forward, step-by-step, one day at a time, knowing fully well that even if I encounter some hurdles along the way and trip, there's no other choice but to get back up on my feet and just keep going. =)

Since time does not exist and there is only now, it does not matter how fast or slow things appear to be moving. Life is about living it right now and not worrying about time. Taking life at a slower pace can be invigorating and revealing. But there are some things we wish that would move faster, like loading web pages or getting through an illness.

When I am forced to move at a snail's pace when I am supposed to run at a faster pace, I slow down. While slowing down, I enjoy the scenery along the way. At times, I realised that moving at a slower pace benefits us more than at a faster pace. We have been rushing and rushing and perhaps in the rush missed out on a lots of things. We fail to enjoy the fresh air, the bright flowers on the road and the aroma of the grass after a rainfall. Enjoying these breaths will make us calmer and cooler, and I bet we are in a better state of the mind to resolve any obstacles that come along the way.

I suppose it depends on why you are being forced to move slower and whether or not you are actually supposed to move at a faster paced or if you just THINK you're supposed to move at a faster pace.