With Efficiency You Miss the Slow Powerful Moments
It's not always about getting things done as quickly as possible!
TLDR: Efficiency and productivity are useful and important at times, but a beautiful life requires slowing down - a lesson I’m learning constantly right now.
A couple of weekends ago, we were down in Florida with our friends - twenty three people (12 adults and 11 kids) in one big house. It was a beautiful, sometimes chaotic, and surprisingly slow few days.
For someone like me, who loves to do all things (!) as if she’s sprinting eight marathons in 24 hours, this was also a lesson in putting aside efficiency and relishing in the little powerful things.
The realization and turning point came for me when my friend Jenny started pulling out the ingredients to make her famous chocolate chip cookies. As someone who also loves to bake, I stood around and chatted with her as she began creaming the butter…by hand.
A few minutes later, I said, “You know there’s a mixer in one of the cabinets? Do you want to use it? It’ll make this whole process a lot faster.”
Jenny looked at me with a smile on her face and said, “No, I prefer to do it this way. It’s how I’ve always done it.”
We joked about how her using a fork and good old-fashioned arm power and me suggesting a mixer was very aligned with our general personalities. She’s much more of a go with the flow type of person, whereas my main goal always is to increase my productivity.
[I don’t have a picture of me and Jenny from our beach trip, but here we are celebrating a friend’s 40th birthday!]
Well, turns out that creaming butter by hand makes for some delicious cookies!
AND it also lends itself to slow powerful moments.
Because Jenny didn’t rush, she and I got to connect and chat. The kids came by one-by-one to see how things were going. A few other friends engaged in the cookie making process as well.
By not rushing, Jenny unintentionally opened up a portal of time for all of us to be together just as we were.
And that to me was a very powerful lesson in slowing down and aiming for connection whenever possible, even if that means efficiency and productivity go down as a result.
In the slower moments we find time for conversation, observation, laughter, learning, growth. In the slower moments, we find the most powerful version of ourselves.
Thank you, Jenny! I needed that lesson.
What lessons have been showing up for you recently? How do you practice slowing down?
Another Invitation to Slow Down
I feel like slowing down is THE thing I have to conquer right now - the invitations to do so have been coming from every direction.
The most recent came from my almost eight-year-old son. My boy is very much like his dad. Slow to rise, slow to move. Essentially, the opposite of me.
After feeling rushed (by me) the other morning, he said, “Mommy, can you please just slow down? I can’t move as fast as you want me to!”
His words stopped me in my tracks. I didn’t realize he felt rushed, but I can now see how everything about how I move and talk in the mornings would make him feel that way.
Realizing that one of the youngest and most important people in my life feels rushed by me was akin to a slap in the face (but the best kind of slap). It registered as - Par. You. Must. Slow. Down.
Thank you, Kaiden! I needed this lesson from you.
Shakti Credits and Debits
Shakti Credits
My son started theater camp this week (Pride Rock) and was cast as Scar/Taka. I’m just so proud of him and can’t wait to watch him perform this afternoon.
A girls’ night dinner that was very needed! As much as I love my husband and doing life with him, my girlfriends serve a different need in a really unique way. Because we don’t have a strong stake in the ground in each other’s lives, we can truly be each other’s cheerleaders and sounding boards. Such a beautiful gift!
My daughter has recently been telling me she misses me when she’s at school. I told her when that happens to tap her heart with her hand three times and say hi to me. I told her I would hear her and do it back. She told me she’s been doing that all week and it makes her feel better. MY HEART!
Shakti Debit
I love the summertime. The slower start to the day. The earlier end times. The warmth and sunshine. The better moods. I’m here for it all. However, my routines and days are not as optimized as I’d like them to be. It’s been a bit of an energy drain because the only things I can count on getting done for sure are the things I do before anyone else is awake. Maybe this is a sign that I need to slow down (more signs!) as well. I think I just need to be more flexible because every week is different this summer, and the best mindset to have in situations like this is to be ready for anything!
Par’s Picks
I am someone who’s really attached to her morning cup of coffee. I don’t necessarily need it, but I love the familiarity around making and drinking it. It’s an anchor. I’m also a big hazelnut creamer/syrup fan, and this recent find has been a fun addition to my coffee drinking ways.
If you have a 3rd/4th grader in your life (or are looking for gift ideas), this series is really fun. A friend of mine told me her son loves these books, so I got them for another friend’s son. He’s loving them too, so when the original friend asked me what she should get Kaiden for his birthday, I suggested these books! Are you following’? Basically, check out these books!