Dear Friends,,

    What's your hurry?  Actually, a friend of mine found out the hard way the other day.  She was rushing to catch a bus and fell on a slippery patch on the road.  Her feet flew out from under her and she landed on her right wrist.  It was broken, and as she is right-handed, it makes it difficult to do the most ordinary things that most of us take for granted.

    But she said the minor accident seemed to be a kind of "wake-up" call for her.  Now that she has to pay more attention to her movements, she also is getting into a slower, more natural rhythm in her life.  She also said that she hadn't realized until then how stressed she had been feeling.

    Well, Friends,, I think that applies to a lot of us -- and the fact that we can be contributing to our own stress levels by pushing ourselves to rush even when it's not actually necessary.  Too often that leads to a continual state of "hurry up," no matter what we are doing.

    I'd like to propose making a little experiment.  For one day, try noticing your movements – how fast are you are moving as you turn, stoop, walk, pick something up, eat or dress.  See if you can become more aware of each action as you perform it.  And notice your breathing as well.  Are you breathing quickly or shallowly, or more slowly or deeply?  It's a good way to catch yourself in the act, so to speak, and keep stress from building up by slowing down just a bit.

    So, Friends, here's to going with the flow!