Have you noticed how your day is compiled of tiny timed fragments? You have 6 extra minutes to lay in bed after the alarm. You have 20 minutes in the bathroom to get ready. 10 minutes for breakfast. 25-30 minutes for the commute.
X minutes for lunch before another x minute engagement.
You get the point.
Since our lives are a mix of relationships with ourselves, others, and the environment, our relationships follow the same fragmented pattern – 7 minutes here, 24 minutes there.
Which takes me to luxuries in life. Bear with me.
Last week, I was driving to work in the middle of the morning rush. I had left early enough and I found myself calm, relaxed and driving the speed limit, even in areas of 15 m/h. Usually, I have 23 minutes for my morning commute to make it on time. In the unpredictability of morning traffic, I’m mostly anxious and irritated.
But not on this morning, and in the calm of my mind, I realized something. It’s a luxury to drive a speed limit. Or more specifically,
To have a state of mind where you are happy driving just the speed limit has become a luxury.
Eva Fanari
When we speak of luxury, it’s mostly in terms of extremes. Either we talk about expensive material stuff – luxury cars, yachts, or properties. Or we talk about the very basics of life, such as health, safety, or even the breath we take.
Yet being alive and owning a palace do not have to be the only luxuries we appreciate. Is there anything in between? Yes.
Time.
Everyone has the same amount. Everyone feels they don’t have enough. And still, some of us seem to have more than others – the greatest luxury of life.
In the fast-paced world, it’s become a luxury to take your time, to enjoy your surroundings, not have to rush to the next thing in your life. Yet these are crucial elements for calm in your life.
When it comes to communicating with others, you bring calm to the relationship when you allow everyone to drive the speed limit, whatever it is for them. Don’t rush the thoughts, the words, or the decision-making.
Observe time not by the passing minutes, hours, and days, but by what you do, feel, and think; but by how much calm you can bring to others and yourself.
Photo by Eva Fanari, ABQ Biopark