Slow

This weekend, we slowed ourselves down. Sometimes it's not easy to be slow... being fast is rewarded. Being fast is necessary, most of the time, to keep up with the pace of life. Being slow is a luxury...

Today our slow pace led us to an impromptu nature hike. We let the sights and sounds distract us. We stopped to watch the slow critters and find beauty in the quiet and the gentle.

It was amazing how the little people were able to be slow and quiet along with our surroundings. I knew they had the ability to be quietish... but the will?... Turns out they do.

Autumn is upon us and I'm thrilled. I love this season, with the chilling air and the turning leaves... the transformation of sight and sound... It makes me want to spend as much of my time outside as possible.

And spending that time in the woods is where we find ourselves at this time of the year. Walking along the trails with leaves crunching under foot and falling from above is therapy. The kind of therapy that give one a whole new outlook on life... that makes adults able to slow down and enjoy slow things with the wonder and amusement of a child.

And when it was all over - it was sure to end - we left that place of quiet and started to get back to reality, we were rewarded once more. This time with a slow toothy smile from the littlest person. She too was happy to have slowed... she was happy to have enjoyed the crunchy leaves and time spent discovering... it was so simple, so enjoyable... worthy of a slow little smile.