Slow Rocking
by Carl Honoré · July 13, 2010
Love how there are wooden rocking chairs sprinkled randomly round the departure lounge at the airport in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Makes waiting for the flight so much less grim. Gently rocking here now. Genius.
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You have probably written about this concept in your book (which I’m not done with yet) but I have found lately that taking the time to notice the things around us are one of the biggest steps to slowing down in general.
Our circumstances inform our mindframe, but for nutty Americans like myself, mindframes often inform the circumstances.
Today, as I bagged 32 Hefty bags of leaves at our cabin (my hubby, God bless him, has not adopted the Slow Program yet) I took some breaths and simply marveled in the crisp pine air. I was not stuck with a boring task. I was one with nature! I would not have a sore back. I would have toned arms by the time our day was done! And then, because I’m so Earth Mama by nature, I could have some more slow time with a decaf cappucino at the local Starbucks.
Hey, I’m from L.A.. I can meditate and drink good coffee all at once. No shame.
Comment by andrea frazer
— July 13, 2010 @ 9:27 pm
Yes, I do write about how slowing down goes hand in hand with noticing the detail of what is going on around us, of appreciating the texture and fine grain of daily life, of seeing the big picture.
By unleashing your inner tortoise, you can even turn leaf-raking into an experience of vivid intensity. And it gets even better with a decaf cappuccino waiting at the end of it…
No shame in being from L.A. Unless your Lindsay Lohan.
Comment by Carl Honoré 95.177.121.34 not found — July 14, 2010 @ 6:41 am
We’re you in Nova Scotia for a talk?….I’d be really sorry if I missed it.
Shirley in Halifax
Comment by Shirley
— July 15, 2010 @ 6:58 am
I googled you and saw that you were here…I guess I could have checked your schedule page too. Hope you had a nice visit…despite the rain.
Comment by Shirley
— July 15, 2010 @ 10:21 am
Sorry to miss you, Shirley. Yes, best thing is to keep an eye on my Speaking Schedule page. Also I tweeted about it and mentioned it on Facebook. Hopefully catch you next time…
Comment by Carl Honoré
— July 16, 2010 @ 12:32 am
I read your book and enjoyed it a great deal. I would like to know how you came to find out about all the unique schools you write about. We (my family and I) are moving to Victoria, BC and would like to research the school systems there and apparently just calling the public school board office does not suffice.
Gwen in Ottawa
Comment by Gwen in Ottawa
— August 7, 2010 @ 7:49 pm
Hi Gwen, glad you enjoyed Under Pressure. I’m not surprised to hear that you’re finding the school board office unhelpful. I ran into the same problem around the world. Bureaucrats are not very good at promoting schools that break the mould.
So I had to look elsewhere. I found the schools I wrote about by chasing up leads in newspaper articles and blog posts and by talking to parents and teachers. Once you show an interest, people are very keen to spread the word about such schools.
Hope that helps a little.
Good luck in Victoria!!
Comment by Carl Honoré
— August 13, 2010 @ 2:04 am