Funnily enough, the pace of my life slowed down to such an extent that the customary blog post from the June monthly Zoom-call in the Tankespjärn-community was put on pause for the better part of five weeks.
As I sit here, facing my computer at my mother’s dining room, a soft summer breeze playfully caressing my legs, coming through the garden-door that’s slightly ajar, looking at the doodle from the call, I willingly acknowledge that I needed this break. Somewhat cheekily I’ve been saying, to family, friends and colleagues that ”I don’t need a proper vacation this year”, comparing my mental state of exhaustion to that of last year, when I was most definitely singed along the edges when summer rolled around.
But I don’t think I was correct. I think I needed a vacation, and I’ve given myself one.
But now it’s time to slowly start to pick up pace (!) again, and what better way than to reflect on that very concept.
I read the writings on the doodle, feeling my heartbeat slowing down to the speed of life.
The connection to duration and endurance, to speed and rhythm, to attention and the ability to connect dots (other dots will be connected depending on whether the connector goes at a slower or faster pace, don’t you think?) was not something I’d properly reflected upon prior to this session, but ever since… I don’t know how many times my mind has reverted to pace since. Many…
…as I walk with Sigge the dog, letting him set the pace (and direction).
…half-running to get as quickly as I can to my friend coming from the other direction, a friend I’ve not seen for half a year.
…sitting in the sun with a book, letting it fall to my side, simply looking about me in the garden.
And I love the image of pace as a knob on an old-fashioned radio (representing me, my life), one I can fine-tune to impact my current, in-the-moment-experience of life.
How do you pace yourself in your life?