One of the many things I love about this town I live in is the pace.  Everyone slows down here.  People hang out on porches and drink coffee in the morning.  People often walk to town instead of drive.  People hang out in cafes and stop to talk in the middle of the street.  And if I go to an event in the afternoon, it is highly doubtful I will summon up the energy for an evening event.  Why do two things when I can do just one?  Why pack too much into a day?  It’s so unnecessary.

The speed limit on the main road here is 35.  Yes, there are people who go 45, but it’s oh so nice to go 35mph.  There are reasons for this speed limit, of course.  One is that there are often deer by or in the road, or elk jumping over it.  Secondly, there are children and walkers and bicyclers.  But mostly, I think we just don’t want to listen to cars zooming around.  We want to smell the fresh mountain air and hear the birds.  There are no racing rats here.

I bet our blood pressure is lower here.  It’s kind of like we live at vacation speed even though it’s “real” life.  I wonder why we live at a slower pace here. Maybe because we are so surrounded by nature, we live more at the pace of nature.  Or maybe it’s because we don’t need to prove anything.  In other parts of the country, everyone feels this desperate need to ACHIEVE.  Here, we enjoy “being” a lot more.  It’s so refreshing.

What would happen if you gave yourself permission to live life at a slower pace?

What would happen if you walked instead of ran?   What if you walked instead of drove???

What if you spent more time at home?  What if you spent more time outside?  What if you spent more time with your kids and your pets?  What if you ate more slow food and less fast food?  What if you started out your mornings watching the sun rise?  What if you ended your days watching the sun set?  What if you didn’t have anything to prove?  What if it was okay to enjoy life more?  What if you didn’t have to succeed at anything?  What if you were allowed to take more naps?  What if you spent more time on your porch and less time at the office?

Living life more slowly feels really good.  Try it sometime!