no time to rush

No time to rush

In her brilliant talks, Tara Brach often tells a story of a friend of hers who’d been diagnosed with a life threatening disease and told she only had one year to live. Her friend was suddenly faced with her own mortality and this shook her out of her trance. Her mantra became ‘no time to rush’.

This is a lesson for all of us. We know that death is certain, yet the time of our death in uncertain. Why do we insist on speeding up our lives? What are we rushing towards, really? How many times throughout the day do you catch yourself rushing? Wishing the cars in front would go faster, wishing the lights would change, willing life to go faster?

Anyone who knows me knows, I move fast. I’m often doing 10 things at once, I’m even rushing to type this before a class starts, as the inspiration strikes me (oh the irony). I’ve even lost my license for going too fast and fallen off my bike, twice for - you guessed it - going too fast.

This is a big one for me. I often find myself getting in a frenzy, must get this done, just one more thing, and trying to squeeze as many jobs as possible until the shortest time imaginable. 

When I remember to quietly whisper to myself ‘Clare, no time to rush’ I’m immediately reminded of my own mortality and the preciousness of this life I’ve been gifted with.

Suddenly there’s space. I can taste my tea and feel the delightful warmth of it filling my belly. I can feel my hair tickling my neck. I can smell the smoky sage burning. I turn into my own heartbeat. Du dum. Du dum. Every beat is a reminder - I am alive. Can I act like it, instead of living some half-life, controlled by my spiralling thoughts. The answer is a wholehearted YES!

it’s all in the slowing down. There really is no time to rush.

Practice: write yourself multiple ‘no time to rush’ notes and stick them around your house, car, place of work (even get it tattooed, I’m considering it ). Every time you remember to slow down, celebrate! This is huge. You’re waking up! The world needs you to pay attention. To pay attention is to love ️