Go Slow, and Savor the Life you Live

 

Words and Feature Image Photo: Liza Benetua

Location: Moonlight Beach,

Laiya, Batangas

In a world that we live in where everything happens fast,  it’s important that we take things slow. We need to savor every moment that happens in our lives. However, taking it slow is not what the world wants. We base our lives on that twelve-digit object that goes, “Tick, tock, tick, tock.”  We are always in a hurry that we miss the tiny details of our lives. For example, a friend asks us as we walk in our cubicles, ” Hey, what did you have for breakfast?”.  We reply mindlessly, “Huh?”. Bummer right?

Yup, instant is the word. It’s evident everywhere we go. There’s the convenience store that’s open 24 hours a day.  The ATM machine that let’s you withdraw your hard earned cash without going to the bank. The vendo machine, and for just a few coins or bills to spare, food and drinks comes dropping down the vent.

We are not spared from the number of activities we are faced with, like those deadlines  for a project that’s due next week, or preparing tonight’s dinner for your family of five.

Likewise, technology is not spared from this Speedy Gonzales pace that we live in.  For instance, the Internet. When we are checking our email, doing our  History homework for school,  or searching Wikipedia for info about Soh Ji-Seob (one of my favorite Korean actors apparently). While doing any browser-related activity, we want immediate answers for all our quesrtions at the snap of our fingers.

It’s also true when we spend so much time browsing social media, scrolling through your Facebook Newsfeed for hours, or playing games over your smartphone. It’s Ok to spend time doing this, but not to a point that we’re addicted to it that we forget to do our laundry, or to clean our house, or throw the garbage. Before we know it, Friday comes, and we lie down in our beds exhausted. Another week has passed, and we ask ourselves, ” What on earth just happened? The day just went by just like that? I didn’t do anything worthwhile.”

I realized that while I was taking a shower. I have forgotten to slow down. I have totally ignored the fact that in every thing I do, I must appreciate the experience. That when I put the shower gel in my loofah, I have to make sure that I know the brand that I used. Then I take note of the color of the loofah, was it purple? Yup it is purple, or lavender.

We are lucky to be born in a time where gadgets like cameras, drones, and smartphones are invented. I thank the geniuses of our time who have made our lives comfortable with their talents.  I would encourage that we use these things to help us revel in every moment that passes by our lives. No gadgets? Then there’s the handy diary or journal or even a photo album that helps us to cherish everything: 1) places we’ve been to 2) people we’ve met and 3) our cherished memories.

Sometimes we need a break from our hectic schedules. Don’t forget to take a deep breath when were panicking. Don’t forget to smile at friends even if we’re feeling our worst. I recommend a trip to the beach. Went to Laiya, Batangas last May with friends from my Catechism group. Whatever pain I had, my trip to the beach healed. Details of the beach trip on my upcoming post.

Remember these words from CSI’s Gil Grissom, “If you want to go fast, you gotta go slow.” Cheerio!!!

Photo Credits:

Photo of Soh Ji-seob alamy.com