Slowing Down
I've been saying for a while now that time just needs to slow down. It seems the older I get the faster time just seems to fly by. I want to hope it's just because I am working full time and when I finally retire things will slow down, but I have a feeling that isn't the case.
I've talked to quite a number of people who feel the same way. They say that the world is faster than it used to be. Technology has accelerated the pace at which we do many things and I have to wonder if it is also increasing the pace at which we age.
I'm sure that probably isn't the case. People have been writing poems, stories, and songs for centuries about how fleeting time is. There are even an abundance of sayings about the phenomenon like "Time flies" and "Youth is wasted on the young".
Personally, I've been trying to do what I can to make sure time doesn't go by quite so fast. It's hard! I'm trying to get out of that mindset where I am waiting for the for the weekend to get here. It never fails before I know it the weekend has come and gone and then I am waiting for the next weekend to show up.
That's no way to live!
Like I said, it's hard when you are busy working all the time, but I am making a concerted effort to try and stop and take a breath every now and then. Even if it means I just stop and take a picture of a flower I see.
Like this one. I was up north a couple of weekends ago and I saw these flowers in a planter outside of a building. I am sure I got a few looks from people, but I stopped to take some macro shots. I don't know what it is about macro shots but I kind of feel like they have that "Matrix" effect where time slows down just a little bit.
Maybe it just has to do with the fact that the camera takes a little longer to focus when you take shots like this. That in turn gives me more opportunity to focus myself.
I really like the way this last one turned out. I feel like it would make a really good black and white edit. Actually, maybe one of those crossover edits where you make everything black and white except for where the water droplets touch the petal or something like that.
My garden is in a sorry state, but I was out looking at it the other day and I noticed that my garlic plants had some scapes shooting out of them. I'm going to let them go this year as I don't want to damage the plants any more than I did last year.
Many times my wife and I are so busy traveling in the summer that we don't really get to spend a lot of time out in our own yard. Either that, or it's just too hot.
Maybe excuses are the way we rob ourselves of the precious time that we try so hard to hold onto.
I guess I have never thought of it that way...
I mentioned before that I am taking a trip to Colorado this summer. I've been waiting for what feels like ages for it to be here. I know when it finally arrives, it is going to be over in the blink of an eye. I hope that when the time comes I can just be still enough to appreciate the moment. In fact, I'm going to try and make a point to do that.
Ever since our dog Jovi passed away, the rabbits have virtually taken over our yard. They were always around before, but I think they were a little more cautious as well as a little more sparse. It seems like they know that it is their space now. I don't have any intention of kicking them out as long as they don't start digging up my yard.
Just look at this guy. I don't think I have ever seen a rabbit quite so content. Usually they are sitting straight up glancing around, eating, waiting to bolt away at any sudden movement or sound. This guy has his side flat on the ground just watching the world go by.
That's what we all need. Some moments where we are just completely content, nowhere to be, nothing to do, just in the moment and living our best life.
We should all be so lucky to slow down like that.
Sports Talk Social - @bozz.sports
Good to mentally be aware of slowing down, literally smelling the roses is a great idea. Sticking to the idea is different in real life, we all find life is speeding away from us. Enjoy Colorado don't worry about the rabbits, try emulate them while away!
!BEER to you and yours on Independence Day
Thank you! It's been really tough to actively slow down. It almost sounds contradictory. I'm doing my best though. I have a feeling Colorado will give me many memories to cherish.
Steal moments whenever you can during work days to clear the head.
Holidays away hide all phones, only check once a day it really helps!
The flowers you captured were beautiful.
I like your reason for choosing macro shots. Sometimes in a fast-changing world, we need to find ways to make ourselves stay on the ground and appreciate.
I'm hoping also. Fighting!!
Thank you! It's definitely a lesson in patience to actually take the time to slow down and absorb everything.
You're welcome.😊 I learned something from this too.😊
Time is precious and we have to decide what it is worth spending it on. There are no refunds in the end :)
Retiring doesn't fix the passage of time problem, it anything it gets worse because you find yourself more busy than ever with other projects...
The Colorado trip should be fun though, road trips can be a lot of fun. Enjoy the moments while they last.
Rabbits are funny, when they aren't worried about predators that's exactly what they like to do! When I lived in Arizona we had a lot of the around all of the time!
That is interesting, I've never seen a bunny do that before. I'm really excited about Colorado though I am sure I will miss home.
Rabbits are funny creatures to watch! That one obviously felt right at home... When do you head out for Colorado?
Been here for a bit now, but trying not to announce it yet.
Our perception of time fascinates me. They say it seems to speed up as we get older because, as we age, we've repeated more of the same experiences and behaviors so as time goes on we're paying less attention and kind of just going through the motions. So you might be onto something with your idea of looking more deeply at and into things. I remember working for the weekend and vacations and that definitely didn't help slow things down. Sometimes it felt like I'd blink my eyes and another year would be gone. In my opinion, retirement is better because you have more freedom of how you want to structure your days and that little trick you've discovered about playing closer attention to things will serve you well.
I found a YouTube channel you might like. This guy does solo camping with his dog every weekend through all kinds of weather. We really enjoy watching it.
https://www.youtube.com/c/KennyOfAllTrades
I'll check it out when I am in the right mindset! This week has been rough knowing when we get back from our trip we won't be picking up our dog from the vet so excited to see us!
Understandable! All of the "firsts" are tough. I still have bad days sometimes.
Hugs my friend!
Thank you brother!
Thanks! I'm still struggling with it, but I have a feeling that is going to be the case no matter what. This past week for example was a trip I have been looking forward to for a while now and then poof, just like that's it's all over!
Trips are a strange animal. I notice the weeks leading up to a trip take forever and for the first few days time passes normally but when you approach the halfway point of the trip..POOF! It's like you blink your eyes and you're done. I hope you enjoyed it!
It was pretty amazing. As much as I want to travel out of the country, there is so much in the US to admire and be proud of.
We are so very lucky in this country. There's a lot of it I still have to see. So far the southwest is my favorite followed by the north shore of Lake Superior.
I'm with you on the second one! I haven't seen enough of the southwest yet.
View or trade
BEER.Hey @bozz, here is a little bit of
BEERfrom @joanstewart for you. Enjoy it!We love your support by voting @detlev.witness on HIVE .