The Invitations to Slow Down We Might Be Missing

At the farm, the donkeys remind me to slow down every time I go out there.

I had just reread a story my friend shared about how the donkeys had reminded her to slow down, so this was on my mind as I walked across campus to use the restroom.

As I walked down the sidewalk, the wind was blowing strong enough against me that I either had to push harder to walk at the same pace or slow down.

Because slowing down was already on my mind, I recognized that as another invitation.

So I slowed down.

Every time I go to the farm I notice that the donkeys invite us to slow down, which we don’t get often in this busy world.

Or do we?

Here was the wind, offering me another opportunity.

What other opportunities might we be missing?

The donkeys offer us their grounding presence, and being with them always helps me to slow down and be more present, too.

But what about other animals?

What about our own pets?

Your dog who leisurely sniffs along your walk?

Your cat who relaxes deeply in your lap, in no hurry to get up even when you are ready to?

My dog Rosie used to stop, put her nose up and feel the wind. I often got annoyed because I 'had things to do'.

But on those days when I did pause, I realized I really could take a moment to slow down, and my day got better for it.

What if instead of hurrying, we are willing to slow down and follow our pets’ lead?

Would it give our minds the pause they need? Would our nervous systems settle just a little bit so we could have more clarity?

As I mulled this over on my walk to the restroom, I noticed my breathing and my pace had slowed.

When I came out of the building, I was more present. Instead of automatically going back the way I'd come, I noticed another door and chose to go that way.

Outside that door were 1, then 2, then 3 butterflies...and I noticed that there was an actual butterfly garden by that building! 🦋

And that's when I realized just how much my discomfort about walking across campus had influenced my choices.

I'd felt out of place because I'm not a student there. I was waiting for my son, who was in a class, but I hadn't realized HOW uncomfortable I was.

Honestly, I didn't stand out THAT much as it’s a community college and there are older students.

But I'd deliberately sat in my car and weighed the discomfort of not finding a bathroom for an hour and a half against the discomfort of walking across campus.

And when I realized I couldn't wait that long, I'd calculated the shortest distance to a bathroom so I could minimize the time I felt out of place.

But now, because I'd slowed down and allowed my nervous system to settle, and I felt safe, I didn’t worry about someone telling me I wasn't supposed to be on campus.

And then I realized something else.

I'd walked right past that butterfly garden on my way to the restroom without even noticing it.

What else might I be missing when I'm moving quickly because I'm uncomfortable?

And that brought me back to thinking about our pets:

What if our pets aren't just giving us opportunities to slow down?

What if, when we do slow down, we also have an opportunity to become more aware of WHY we feel we can't, or shouldn't, slow down in the first place?

Our pets are offering us more opportunities to learn about ourselves than we realize. 💗