June 16, 2007 | Posted in: Living Hartfully
Bouncing back and forth between high-octane conferences in fast-paced cities and then returning to my home in an “active adult community” – read retirement resort; it strikes me that there must be a balance between living life in 6th gear and going in reverse.My ‘hood is not nearly active, or young enough for me – hence my move to the mountains with vital, active, outdoor adventurous types, but I’m feeling I don’t fit in with the uber pace of those I left in Washington DC. It reminds me of trekking through Nepal with my buddies and our pack of Sherpas carrying our load. We had just flown in from our home in Germany – still a slower pace than the US, and we were on European time on the hiking trail. Our Sherpas would fix us lunch and then we would lounge for an hour or two and then quit hiking around 2 or 3 to lounge some more.
At first we were a little aggitated that we were burning daylight and we wanted to hike further down the trail and not waste time sitting around. That thinking lasted only a couple days until we settled in to their rhythm of life and began to relax and bask in the lounging amidst the Himalayan peaks surrounding us. We played campfire games, showed our Sherpas skits from our camp days and taught them how to do shadow puppets on the tent walls by firelight. We had time to create, laugh, lounge and just be.
Now I’m feeling that schleping suitcases through airports umpteen times a month and chasing airplanes isn’t the pace I want or need any more. Security lines aren’t as fun as they used to be and so I’m making major changes to my life to support more of the Nepali Time and allow more free time. I’m setting up business systems, hiring Virtual Assistants and other life support to free up my time for more play with the people that matter. I’m feeling more energized by the mere thought of not continuing the pace I’ve lead for a decade and anticipate with eagerness the slower pace of the mountains…although not so slow as my retirement community. Maybe I’ll gear down to 3rd or 4th….I don’t want to hit reverse just yet.
On our recent cruise, my mom (who has never napped in her 80 years) decided to take the slower pace and nap twice a day and bypass the poolside festivities. It was a respite from the drunken masses and the sweet escape felt sinfully delicious.What is your pace? Is it serving you well? Is your pace energizing you, boring you, or irritating you? How does it settle with you and does a slower pace invite relaxing or aggitation? Take a high-level look at your pace and your life and see what you can see. And see what you can change for the better. Take stock of your pace – maybe it’s time to switch gears to something that suits your better for this time of your life. Now I’m going to go play squeakie with my dog, Madison….
Gaia Hart
As the CEO (Chief Energizing Officer) at Hartful Living including GaiaHart.com and BizBuilderCards.com; I’m a Messenger and Mentor for women entrepreneurs, connecting them to their capacity to energize their work and their lives in the art of living Hartfully. At BizBuilderCards.com, you can make a living through giving with greeting cards and gifts to build your network net worth as an additive to your current business or an easy way to send gratitude and kindness to the world.
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