I was on vacation last week. We were very busy, but we didn’t have a set schedule. I noticed something interesting a few days into the trip. Even though there was nowhere we had to be at any given time, I still found myself rushing to get places. I was hurrying to get from one park to the next, and even irritated if we were in a long line of cars. I wasn’t late for anything at all, so what was going on?
We live in a fast-paced world, and a lot of our time is over-scheduled. This leads to a constant sense of urgency – to get somewhere, to finish something, to move on to the next big thing. It’s so ingrained in us to rush, we can’t shut it off when we finally get some down time. And as our bodies hurry from one place to the next, our minds jump ahead, too. As I waited in line for one attraction, I was thinking and planning about what we were going to do next. I finally realized that my push to get to the next fun thing was sucking the pleasure from the experience, because I wasn’t present to enjoy it.
Vacations always seem to teach me something. Last year I learned to stop counting down the days and dreading the end of my time off. This year I had to force myself to slow down, to look around and notice things, to hear music and laughter and taste my food. I had to let go of the need to do everything in order to savor the experience at hand. I can’t say I walked more slowly, but I allowed myself to rush with the thrill of the moment, rather than the need to check another item off the agenda. I think it’s always easier to remain mindful when I’m relaxed, so vacation is the perfect time to practice. I’m happy to take this lesson back into my real life this week: slow down and enjoy this moment, the present is where the excitement lies.
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April 11, 2012 at 3:26 AM
Erin merryn
What a great post Dr. Paul. that so many can relate to. Something I hear in so many parents is how they are looking forward to the weekend being over or summer break so their kids go back to school. I often share with parents to enjoy that time with your kids, build that healthy relationship that will follow them into adulthood. Create memories that they will look back on and remember as adults. One minute they are children and before you know it your standing at their high school graduate or college orientation. I stumbled upon your blog when I brought you up to someone recently. Words you said to me once 8 years ago that stuck with me and made me look at taking medication in a whole new way. Little did I know at the time those words you said would prepare me later in life when I was diagnosed as a senior in college with Epilepsy.