The Power of Slothness, by Dr. Cedar Barstow

Hanging in my mind’s eye is an image of a sloth sloooowly crossing a wire stretched from our hotel to the restaurant with a coconut tree to crawl into. We were in Costa Rica where sloths are called perezosos. As in the cartoon Zootopia, this perezoso moved slowly, very slowly, limb by limb….mission accomplished…no rush. This scene made me think of my life of rush, rush, rush–at the mercy of my lists of things that need doing. My lists are often in charge of me rather than me being in charge of the list. I will speed through something to get it off the list, even if it is not done carefully or with adequate forethought. My list-tracker even has a rainbow unicorn that flies across the screen when I finish a task! Can you relate?

So, pondering this rush-rush life (not the first time), I am aware that if I let myself be guided by my energy and interest rather than my list, things that I would have pushed myself through actually become easier and often take less time. I can plant a seed in my mind (such as an article to write, or a person to contact, or a problem to solve) and then wait for the answer to sprout almost effortlessly while I’m taking a shower or driving somewhere or taking a walk. Less effort, more pleasure.

The power of slowing down. As hawks surf the wind, engaging the power of flapping less and gliding more.

Meme:  Under separate attachment