Slow your roll, homegirl

How I found peace living in the present moment

Sitting in the car, on my way to dinner reservations, I have a decision to make. According to the GPS, I have seven minutes to spare and that includes a necessary stop at the gas station on the way. But I also needed to pick up an ingredient for tomorrow from the grocery store.

There is a gas station next to the grocery store but it would take me a different route than what Google Maps is currently suggesting. I could run to the grocery store super quick and get what I need to save me a trip tomorrow. I might be a few minutes late, but I save myself a trip.  

Or, I could go tomorrow and give myself some extra time to get to dinner.

I chose the later.

And in that moment, with the decision to slow down and not rush, I realized the beautiful gift I gave myself. The gift of being present, living in the present moment.

It seems like I am always in a never ending race against time. Constantly anxious I don't have enough of this precious resource, I am usually yelling at the dashboard when people drive under the speed limit or not slamming their foot on the accelerator the second the light turns green. So much negative energy because I am running late, or in a rush from point A to point B, and the emotions linger on well after I arrive at my final destination.

Choosing to forego the grocery store in an effort to save time elsewhere eliminated all that unnecessary stress.

Slowing down, leaving a couple minutes earlier, putting off an errand for a later date, allowed me to actually be present and enjoy the world around me. Where as I am normally focusing all my attention on the ETA on google maps and the route changing from blue to orange or in some cases the dreadful red, this time I found myself smiling at the the birds flying by, admiring the bright leavings falling above me, and laughing with the people in the car beside me dancing to the music blaring on their radio.

Time is precious. But we are in control of how we spend our time and I have come to realize the importance in choosing wisely. As they say, you never get it back. While I am one for efficiency and running as many errands as I can at once, I have learned to see the value in quite literally, taking my time. Giving myself space to enjoy the present moment and fully embrace the world around me by slowing down was a beautiful gift and much more rewarding than crossing off an item on my to do list.

This is the real me.

Yours truly,

Jessica Riggin