Sometimes the Best Thing We Can Do Is Slow Down

 

A NuVo World — One Day and One Person at a Time

Today I decided to change things up.

Instead of beginning the morning with a list of things to accomplish, people to contact, projects to advance, or problems to solve, I decided simply to take it easier.

At about 7:30 this morning, I walked over to the beautiful park beside my home. I wasn't going anywhere in particular. There was no destination and no agenda. I was simply going for a walk.

And something rather wonderful happened.

Because I wasn't rushing, I began to notice.

In the space of only half an hour, I saw two women exercising together on the outdoor gym equipment. I watched at least ten people walking their dogs, many of them heading toward the little fenced-in dog run where their four-legged companions could romp and socialize.

On the artificial turf field, no fewer than twenty young men were already involved in an organized soccer game. There was energy, movement, competition and camaraderie.

Nearby, a young girl was practicing her tennis, hitting ball after ball against the school wall. I don't know whether she dreams of becoming a champion one day or whether she simply loves hitting a tennis ball—but there she was, early on a Saturday morning, practicing.

And then I noticed the grass.

The morning dew was particularly heavy, and suddenly I had an idea.

Why not take off my shoes and socks?

So I did.

I walked barefoot through the cool, wet grass.

What a feeling!

There was something wonderfully simple and almost childlike about it—the cold dew beneath my feet, the fresh morning air, the quiet beauty of the park and the realization that, for those few moments, there was absolutely nowhere else I needed to be.

And perhaps there is a lesson in that.

We spend so much of our lives thinking about where we are going next. We have appointments to keep, emails to answer, errands to run, goals to achieve and plans for tomorrow. Even when we are supposedly relaxing, our minds can still be racing ahead.

But life isn't only waiting for us at the end of our plans.

Life is happening right now.

It is happening in two women exercising together in a park.

It is happening among neighbours walking their dogs.

It is happening in twenty young men chasing a soccer ball across a field.

It is happening in a young girl patiently hitting a tennis ball against a wall.

And sometimes it is happening beneath our own bare feet in the morning dew.

This morning also reminded me of something important about A NuVo World.

Creating a better world doesn't always have to involve enormous projects or grand ideas. Sometimes creating a better world begins by creating a better morning.

It begins by getting outside.

By noticing our surroundings.

By saying hello to someone.

By appreciating the trees and grass.

By watching children play.

By feeling connected to our neighbourhood rather than simply passing through it.

And perhaps most importantly, by remembering that we are human beings—not merely human doings.

When I returned home after only half an hour, I felt wonderful.

Refreshed.

Alive.

Grateful.

Nothing dramatic had happened. I hadn't accomplished anything that could be crossed off a list.

Yet somehow I felt that I had accomplished something very important.

I had experienced my morning.

Tomorrow, I think I'll do exactly the same thing.

Maybe I'll take my shoes off again.

Maybe I'll meet somebody new.

Maybe I'll simply walk.

And maybe that's enough.

Because perhaps part of creating a NuVo, better world is learning occasionally to stop trying to change the world long enough to appreciate just how beautiful it can already be.

Slow down. Look around. Take off your shoes. Feel the grass beneath your feet. Say hello to somebody you don't know.

You may discover that a little piece of the world you've been searching for was right beside you all along.

Creating a NuVo, better world — one day and one person at a time.