Try it on for size: encountering contentment

For years I’ve struggled with a fast-track mentality: I need to get this done now, go here then, achieve that by the time I’m X years old and the list goes on. I write about what feels like a race against the clock in “Doing life in the fast lane” and how while the first 50 years took their own sweet time, now the necessity to apply imaginary brakes in order to slow time… grips me with a palpable intensity. “There’s just not enough time,” becomes a familiar refrain. Yet I sense a shift, an infinitesimal settling, deep down, where my soul works out my purpose day in and day out—the feeling that maybe it’s okay if I sink back into my days, my hours, each moment. Go with it rather than fight against it, the ebb of time and its cyclical flow. A contentedness washes over me, as if I’m trying on this new season and it finally fits.

Are you a “fast-tracker” or go-with-the-flow type?

Photo courtesy of adamr at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Wanting more time

[Image credit: healing dream]

Prior to last month’s getaway, I promised myself I’d be thankful no matter how much time I was able to spend with family and friends.  But not surprisingly, after picking up where we left off, I always wanted more hours in the day to catch up, share our hearts or simply hang out.  So instead of appreciating what I did have, the collective moments were cloaked in a film of bittersweet.  Someone once told me that wishing you had more time — on a vacation or outing or whatever it was — is a good thing because it means you didn’t overstay your welcome.  I’ve been back from my travels for over two weeks now, and I still wish I had more time to reconnect and relax in the presence of those who have shaped me.  And although I plan to visit longer on my next trip, I’ll want more time.  But that’s a good thing.

Are you typically ready to pack it in when your time is up?