2020 is the year to Slow Down.

or at least the year that I “announce out loud” that I have Slowed Down.

I actually have been slowing down quite a bit since the end of 2017 — which was the turning point when my brain felt buzzy and my body felt spiraly and my life felt floundery.

When we first moved into the neighborhood in which we currently live, there was a little old lady who lived up the street on a hill who came out each morning in her robe, slippers, and some sort of shower-cap looking hat to yell at the speeding cars.

I am not being insulting by describing her as a little old lady. She was in fact old. —  And appeared to be quite small in size.

Anyhow. This street in our neighborhood is a busy street — it leads straight to the freeway and the freeway leads either San Francisco or San Jose.

I’m sure you can imagine that during certain hours, drivers are speeding — either up the hill to get to the freeway for work, or speeding back down the hill to get home after a long day.

This lady came out with a homemade picket sign she shook at the cars. It read: SLOW THE #&*% DOWN in dark reddish, almost purple magic marker.

The #&*% was not on her sign. Instead it read the actual word that I’m sure your brain can figure out.

She was awesome.

The sign was awesome.

and the sentiment?

TOTALLY AWESOME.

So at the end of 2017 when I felt buzzy and spiraly and floundery, this lady and her sign (she passed away about 10 years ago) popped into my brain as the answer to my questioning prayers.

HEY STEPH:  SLOW THE #&*% DOWN

 

so I did.

It took a while to figure out what was making my heart race and my brain ache but I slowly peeled away the layers of STUFF I created in my life and in my days —

and I began to simply Slow Down.

I began to close the tabs on my brain and be a little more present.

I began to choose what I was eating rather than just eat because it was time to eat and other people around me were eating.

I began to exercise because it felt good, not because I was desperate to look a certain way in some dress at some party I didn’t even really want to go to.

Because I live in the doorstep of Silicon Valley I see FAST! HUSTLE! GRIND! everywhere I turn.

I’m not sure what it’s like in other parts of the country or the world, but here — even just simply going for a walk — people are glued to their phone and always seem to be in a rush.

I wrote yesterday that this is the Year to Slow Down.

How about you?

Is there something in your life that feels spiraly that you need to Slow?

Let me know your thoughts; you are not alone.

xoxo,

your friendly neighbor, steph