One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master. He told me to go slow to go fast. I think that applies to everything in life. We live as though there aren’t enough hours in the day but if we do each thing calmly and carefully we will get it done quicker and with much less stress.
(Viggo Mortensen)
Life is unexpected isn’t it? It is already year 2021. It’s been more than a year since the COVID-19 pandemic appeared in the world in December 2019. Covid-19 caused the whole world to standstill in 2020. Worse, it didn’t go away as fast as everyone expected. & now the new normal is far from normal.
Pre-COVID activities such as walking, shopping and meeting up with friends look very different these days, because of the many restrictions imposed. In many countries, wearing a mask is mandatory outside of your home, and observing safe distancing of at least 1 metre apart from another individual is expected.
All the excuses we used during pre-COVID for not spending more time with our families because of work or other commitments became a moot point in pandemic times. Most people had to learn to work from home or even go to school from home via video conferencing. What was once new technology, has now become the norm.
An unexpected outcome of Covid-19 seclusion is an enforced time with those whom we live with. Some have chosen to use the opportunity to bond better with their families or loved ones. Whilst for others, the enforced proximity has resulted in more friction. In any case, everyone had to slow down, especially during the early days of the pandemic, because most offices, shops and even schools were closed as lockdowns were imposed.
Isn’t it wise of the horse master to advise Viggo Mortensen, an American actor, that if one wants to move faster, you have to slow down first. We can plan our life to the last detail but it is God who determines our steps.
If you haven’t learnt to play ball or pick up a hobby, this is as good a time as any to find one. Life is not only unexpected, it is a marathon journey, not a 100-metre sprint. Take it slow, pace yourself, if you want to go the distance. A calm mind, not given to anxiety or worries, will allow you to get things done quicker because you’ll make less mistakes. Just like food chewed multiple times, will help you digest better.
So don’t rush around like the hare or the young lumberjack in the short story below. In life, the journey is as important if not more important than the destination. While slowing down, take the time to observe and reflect. The break from your busy routine may be more refreshing than you expect. So remember to go slow if you want to go faster. Enjoy the ride!
Artist: Lydia C. Text: Anna G.
It was the annual lumberjack competition and the final was between an older, experienced lumberjack and a younger, stronger lumberjack. The rule of the competition was quite simply- whomever could chopped the most trees in a day was the winner.
The younger lumberjack was full of enthusiasm. He went off into the wood and set to work straightaway. He worked all though the day and night. As he worked, he could hear the older lumberjack working in another part of the forest, and he felt more and more confident with every tree he felled that he would win.
At regular intervals throughout the day, the noise of trees being felled coming from the other part of the forest would stop. The younger lumberjack took heart from this, knowing that this meant the older lumberjack was taking a rest, whereas he could use his superior youth and strength and stamina to keep going.
At the end of the competition, the younger lumberjack felt confident he had won. He looked in front of him at the piles of felled trees that were the result of his superhuman effort.
At the medal ceremony, he stood on the podium confident and expecting to be awarded the prize of champion lumberjack. Next to him stood the older lumberjack who looked surprisingly less exhausted than him.
When the results were read out, he was devastated to hear that the older lumberjack had chopped down significantly more trees than he had. He turned to the older lumberjack and asked,”How can this be? I heard you take a rest every hour and I worked continuously through the night. What’s more, I am stronger and fitter than you, old man!”
The older lumberjack turned to the younger man and replied,”Every hour I took a break to rest and sharpen my saw.”
