Is It Time to Move at a Snail's Pace?

Sometimes we just have to laugh at ourselves, right? Or is it that sometimes we just have to laugh with ourselves? We think, I am not laughing at you, I am laughing with you, as we look in the mirror. My laughing-at-myself moment came the other day while I was traveling. I had boarded my flight and was checking my email on my phone before we took off. As I tried loading my email app, it took about eight seconds. And in those eight seconds I became frustrated and thought why is this taking so long? Cue the laughing at myself.

Each year as technology advances, our need for speed seems to advance with it. We want information, and we want it now. We not only want it now, but we also expect the information to be fed to us before we even have to think about it. We train the technology to understand what we like and want before we ever even have to search for it. We simply turn on our device and lo and behold, there it is waiting for us to consume it.

In a recent meeting with a partner, they were discussing how their technology could serve up information in real-time, measuring response times in milli-seconds. Again, we have become a culture that has a need for speed and instant gratification.

As I came across a snail the other day, I watched it move slowly across the pavement. And I found myself fascinated by the slow and deliberate pace of the snail. I know it is a snail and snails aren’t equipped to move any faster, so they have to settle for the slow pace at which they move. It took the snail five minutes or so to cross the pavement and move into the grass. Just five minutes, which for us could now feel like an eternity.

So in that moment I reflected on my own need for speed. Although I can’t slow down advancements in technology that are designed to speed things up, nor can I or should I worry about others and their need for speed. I can decide when it’s time to slow things down for myself. Can my walks along the shoreline be a little slower so I can appreciate the sounds of the waves lapping against the sand, taking in the salt air, and maybe finding a unique shell or piece of sea glass? Can my hikes in the mountains be slowed down just a bit so I can take in the wildflowers, watch the streams rushing down the mountainside, or looking out at the amazing vistas from the openings through the trees?

We are definitely a society on the go. We want the speed limits to be higher, our flights to get us to our destination faster. We want our meals delivered to our homes or tables in unreasonably fast times. We expect the elevator to show up as soon as we press the button. It’s the pace of the race these days that we are trying to keep up with and the pace is getting quicker and quicker each day.

I thought about the snail again. And as I did, I was reminded that moving at a snail’s pace is okay sometimes. I enjoy a slow-brewing pot of coffee as it fills the kitchen with that beautiful coffee aroma. I love reading and spending time slowly letting the story develop and not racing to finish the book. I find it so much more meaningful to pray slowly as it connects me at a deeper level to those I am praying for and to my faith. And when I can slow down enough before rushing out of the house to write notes to my family and leave them around the house, it makes everyone feel so loved and appreciated.

Is it time to slow down a bit for you? Are you running a race that just gets faster and faster all the time? I would love to hear your story at?[email protected] ?and when we can move at a snail’s pace sometimes, it really will be a better than good life.