I read this article on the New York Times over the weekend. I think the author shared some  valid points about American society and that how busy we are defines us. “I’m just sooo busy.” How often do you hear that? I couldn’t agree more with his point:

It is, pretty obviously, a boast disguised as a complaint. And the stock response is a kind of congratulation: “That’s a good problem to have,” or “Better than the opposite.”

Right? It’s so true! I was absolutely a victim to it when I was working in the corporate world. It was always go, go, go. A full calendar, with both work and social events. Committing to multiple plans in the same evening and racing from one to the next. Always running. Always late to dinners. Always Sometimes canceling last minute because something more urgent (or more preferred) came up…

It’s funny. I asked my friends that visited in April if they noticed anything different about me. Had I changed? I was curious and had no idea what they would say, if anything.

Stacy didn’t hesitate. She said:

You walk slow.

And you know what? She’s right. I guess my priorities have changed. Busy can wait. I’m too busy (uh..) not being busy. Walking slow. Smelling the flowers. And enjoying my life.

It’s absolutely a result of the move, of not working, of traveling.  Would I have kept running the race if we were still in Chicago? Probably. A life-changing experience forced me to re-evaluate how I want to live my life; it was a unique situation. Most people don’t have this opportunity.

I’ve become really reflective on the past year lately. It’s been such an incredible year. I guess the takeaway from this particular topic (and why I wanted to share it with you) is to slow down. Which reminds me of another of my favorite quotes, an appropriate close to this post:

The days are long, but the years are short.

Enjoy them.

(These aren’t our dogs btw, we are just borrowing them for a few days:)