11 Comments
Aug 15Liked by Álvaro García

excellent piece, alvaro. thank you so much. it seems i have been living in a a slowness mindset and lifestyle for...for, well, the longest time. keep going. thank you, again. j.

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Aug 20·edited Aug 20Author

Hi Jacee! Slowness is a very healthy mentality, it gives you peace of mind and allows you to give things the time they deserve in an age where everything is going faster and faster. We forget that there are things in life that are not going to be better for being faster.

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Thank you for this piece. I have set it aside to read again, slowly. It resonates with truth. The slower I go, the more I see and the deeper I am able to think.

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That's right, it is worth pausing and reflecting.

Sometimes it is also worth slowing down what we normally do in a hurry and under stress, such as going for a walk or spending an evening with friends. We live so fast that we forget that there are things that require time to be truly enjoyed.

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Exactly.

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This has been a matter of rebellion for me most of my life. During my twenties, when I had wads of energy, I worked full time while going to school. I'd have bouts of bronchitis during the winter, which slowed me down, and my social life was either questionable or non-existent. So, by the time my thirties rolled around and I started a family, I decided to bag the career for raising my child. My One and Only child. My health improved as did my psyche. My husband and I struggled financially, but the contribution from me for him was making a calm and clean home with a happy child and a non-grumpy wife. We learned the hard way when he was working part-time and I took on temp gigs that the stress was too much for me. We managed , by the skin of our teeth, but eventually pulled ahead enough to live comfortably. I watch my daughter now with her career work to do as well as wrangling two small and rambunctious children. Both she and her husband hold stressful jobs. My hat's off to her, as I would be incapable to doing it, but I worry about her health. It will be a few years before she can slow down and truly enjoy a life in the slow lane.

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Yes, we tend to live too fast, much faster than our bodies demand. We don't leave enough time for rest and often push ourselves to the limit unnecessarily. It's admirable how hard some people work, but I always prefer to go slower even if my financial situation could be better. I like to enjoy a more contemplative life and not so fast-paced. Maybe I have a more typical retired person's mentality even though I'm still young.

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Speaking as a retired person (75), I think you've learned to take care of yourself at a younger age than most people. It's interesting what happens when you hit 60. Suddenly, you don't feel the need to impress anybody but yourself. And that's what liberates people.

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Aug 13·edited Aug 13Author

Maybe I have the mentality of a retired person hahaha.

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Sue I agree. It has been retirement and aging that has forced me to slow down, and I am grateful for that. My age is my excuse for dawdling on the bridge and watching the river roll by…

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Brave for you, the bridge and the river. So many things we miss out on in our quest for ... what? Perhaps our "lazy" Gen-Z's are on to something with their Quiet Quitting ethic, that is if they ever get away from the screens.

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