Slow down and enjoy life.
The act of slowing down and enjoying life is one of the greatest blessings we could give to ourselves.
When we are constantly busy and not taking a moment to enjoy the moment,
We are greatly limiting our overall experience of life.
So right now,
Take a moment to slow down by focusing on your breathing.
Take a nice,
Slow,
Deep breath in,
Feeling your body expand as you do so.
And exhale,
Feeling a wave of relaxation blanket over you.
Feel your body slowing down a little.
And as you relax,
You feel your mind follows along and slows down a little too.
Watch as your thoughts pass by as if you are sitting on the bank of a river,
Watching the water float along.
Your thoughts just come and go,
Exactly as the water does.
You never see the same water twice.
It is always new and fresh,
But it remains water.
Then your thoughts are like flowing water and see them passing by.
Thoughts never really stop,
Just as the river never stops flowing.
But you can slow down the thoughts,
Just like the river becomes slow when it doesn't rain often.
It's nice to actually see your thoughts passing by,
And you notice you can control the flow at which they pass by.
Allow yourself to relax on the soft bank and watch the waters of your thinking flow by.
When the water is moving by very slowly now,
So slowly that it's hard to tell if the water is even moving.
This is a relaxing sight.
Hear the trickle of the water and the rustles of the leaves on the trees surrounding this river.
Now allow for a heavy rain of thoughts to come and speed up the river.
Let your thoughts come quickly and see how they are flowing through your mind,
Noticing what the speed of the water is like now.
Don't grasp onto a thought for too long,
Just let the next one come along as soon as it arises.
It is raining even heavier now.
The raindrops of thought are huge as they drop down on the surface of the river.
Your thoughts are so numerous now that the river becomes difficult to see.
Watch how the heavy rain pours down and is also very loud.
The sound of the rain outshadows any other sounds along the river.
Your thoughts are so numerous that they have clouded not only your vision,
But your ability to hear the beauty beneath.
What else do you notice a heavy rain of thoughts stops you from experiencing?
Allow for the storm of thought to calm and slow.
The raindrops of thinking become clearer and gentler.
Your thoughts slow and relax,
So much so that you begin to hear the trickle of the water again in the rustling of the leaves.
The river flows slowly as you relax.
You can see the water clearly.
You can even see wildlife along the banks,
Little birds flying overhead and landing on the branches.
You can hear the chirping and chatter that is like music to your soul.
The river of thoughts has slowed so much now that you can clearly see through the calm waters and there are beautiful fish swimming below.
Enjoy this river and appreciate the difference that slowing down has made for you in this beautiful visualization.
As you watch the nature,
I will tell you a story of the importance of slowing down so you can enjoy the fruits of the experience of life itself.
Maggie was always on the go.
She kept herself busy and active constantly.
Going from place to place was always a rushed experience.
She lived in a busy town and her apartment was located on a street that filled with merchants every Saturday for the farmers market.
Maggie never seemed to care about the market.
She would just run by the people setting up to get to her car and rush to work.
She would drive hurriedly and not pay any attention to anything other than getting to her busy job as a waitress.
Maggie was very beautiful,
Something everyone seemed to notice but her.
She didn't even take the time to look in the mirror.
She would rather just be on the go.
Then one day,
Maggie was running out of her apartment and pulling her hair up at the same time.
She didn't even see a branch had fallen right on her step from the heavy storm the night before.
She tripped right over the branch,
Twisting her ankle,
Luckily not breaking it.
It was Saturday morning and the market was setting up for the day.
A nice fellow ran over to help her and said,
I've seen you running out of your apartment,
Not looking where you were going.
It looks like you've twisted your ankle pretty badly.
Her ankle swelled up quickly and she scrambled to her phone to call out from work.
Maggie was so busy she forgot her ankle was even in pain.
As soon as she told them what happened and that she wouldn't be coming in,
Maybe even for a while,
All her pain came rushing in.
The nice fellow knew Maggie because he saw her every Saturday rushing out from her apartment,
But she never took the time to notice him.
But over the months,
Each Saturday,
She would come out of her apartment.
He would be excited to see her for that brief moment.
He always wanted to say hello,
But she never slowed down enough so that he could.
I'm Jacob,
By the way,
He said.
I keep ice here to sell drinks along with my flowers.
Can I wrap your ankle for you?
Sure,
Thank you,
She said.
Maggie was still in fast motion in her thoughts,
So she forgot to introduce herself.
What's your name?
He asked.
Oh,
I'm sorry,
My name is Maggie.
I live right here.
Yes,
I know,
I've been setting up my flower stand here,
Beside your door,
For several months now.
And I was hoping that one day you would stop for a moment,
Because I think you're the most beautiful person I've ever seen.
He handed her a yellow rose,
Surrounded by baby's breath,
Wrapped in a soft green ribbon.
Aw,
Thank you so much.
I don't know what to say.
No one has ever been so direct with me before,
And yellow is my favorite color.
While I was worried I wouldn't get another chance to tell you,
Because you always rush by,
And I see you wearing yellow a lot,
So I figured it was your favorite color.
He did an amazing job wrapping her sore ankle with cloth and ice,
Just as he does his bouquets.
And she was able to relax,
For the first time in maybe years.
She knew she couldn't go anywhere,
So she sat with Jacob,
And they talked for hours,
As he sold flowers and cold drinks to the people passing by.
There were so many people who recognized Maggie and said hello to her at the market,
Introducing themselves.
Wow,
I didn't know so many people knew me.
Everyone knows you,
Maggie,
You glow with light and love.
All you need to do is slow down and experience the joy of life.
That fallen branch changed everything.
For a week and a half,
She had to be slow and still,
Allowing herself to heal.
After her ankle returned to fully functional,
Each Saturday she took off work,
So her and Jacob could run the florist booth together at the market.
Maggie got to know all her neighbors,
And the connections she made led her to find an exciting new job closer to home where she didn't have to rush to work.
Maggie looked in the mirror and appreciated her appearance.
She took slow breaths when she felt rushed,
And instead enjoyed life.
Maggie and Jacob were together their entire lives,
Slowing down and enjoying each moment,
And their days seemed to last forever when they were together.
Let yourself dream of slowing down and loving the life you have been blessed with.
Good night.
