I have been back in the city for two weeks due to a family medical incident. All is well on that front and my daughter is recovering nicely, but the pace of a city grabs back onto you quickly and before you know it you are back in a rush. Visiting my daughters has been supreme; I miss them alot! But the city... I do not miss that!
For many months now in the country I have been practicing things like running errands once a week instead of every day running an errand, single tasking vs. multitasking, eating a more wholesome and pure diet, slowing down and showering in the evening, taking vitamins, drinking a slow cup of tea, working in my garden and sewing.
Two weeks back in city life and I have ran some sort of errand everyday--I mean there is everything so close and it makes you think of things you "need.". I find myself munching on bagged popcorn this morning (honestly I did not even know this existed). I keep skipping my vitamins- I just don't take the time. Tea is made but left to sit while I hustle doing other "necessary" things.You get the picture. I think in a nutshell I just feel hurried again. Traffic is fast and folks are short with you while servicing you as they have many other things to do and I am just caught up in life in the fast lane again. It is amazing how quickly this happens-- we are not talking days or weeks here but hours!
Today I drive my daughter back home to south Georgia where the pace is slower. Saturday I head back to my home out in the country. It makes me wonder why it feels so different. I have heard it said that you can change location but not the way you react. I am not so sure about that any more. I think location has much to do with how you feel and react. Slow begets slow and fast begets fast. Polite begets politeness and rudeness begets rudeness. Maybe the key is to be the instigator or slow, polite, calm and deliberate no matter where you are. Some of the most grounded people I know live in the midst of a big city. Maybe my changing with the location has more to do with my lack of commitment to my values than to the surroundings. Am I that easily swayed? Apparently so. It has been a real eye opener being back. Next time maybe I can bring the "country" here rather than absorbing the "city" while here.
What do you think? Similar experiences and lessons?
Your post makes me want to pack up and move back to the country. It feels like I live longer in the country - the hurried pace of our city life is exhaustive and I don't believe any of us was ever built to live this way. Excellent post and points out a very valuable point about quality of life.
ReplyDeleteThanks Megha. Agreed. It is exhaustive and not healthy--mentally or physically. Not all can live out in the country. My visit this time makes me wonder about how to get the quality of life that I feel in the country in the city.
DeleteLiving in the Country has a whole diffent philosophy of life. An 'employee' in the country might check the sky for rain, guide his John Deere a few hours a day assiting the crops, and make sure the fence is mended. An 'employee' in the city will navigate the interstate, rush to find a parking spot while drinking a Starbucks, keyboard through panic situations for 8 or 9 hours, then watch his Blackberry in the evening until sleep prevails. We have developed incredible technology, and many times allow it to rule our values. As one of my favorite mentors at IBM tells it "We have discovered the enemy - and it is us"
ReplyDeleteSo true. I do think my biggest enemy is me on this one! It is great to reflect on what gets me into a worked up state; that equips me better to address it and handle it. I certainly do not want to be my own worst enemy!
DeleteI think that your self-reflection is the first step to carrying that peaceful calm with you, wherever you go. It's not always easy. I have to almost physically will my northern mom to walk at my slowed, southern-influenced pace, when we're together and I have to consciously eat slowly when going out to eat with friends who inhale their food. But, it took a few elevated heart beats (when we're just walking into the store) and belly aches to realize the effect people or places can have. So, I'd say it was a wonderful gift for you to have this experience and get this information. Now, you know you need to put a little country pace in your suitcase the next time you visit!
ReplyDeleteIt is a wonderful gift of self actualization. To understand what triggers you into a state of insanity or loosing your serenity is most valuable. Then when it happens or when you feel it coming on, you are better equipped to understand what is happening in that moment. I hope to carry my feeling of well being into whatever circumstance I am in. It is just a process like everything else that is valuable!
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