I’m Going as Fast as I Can

Whenever I’m on a walk and realize someone’s moving at a fast pace behind me, I immediately think I need to speed up. Always be faster. Always be stronger. Don’t let them win. Those are the mantras I grew up with. I have to make myself consciously slow down so when the person passes me, I can get back to enjoying my walk. I really dislike feeling like this but I still have to work to modify my early programming. I remember when our whole family was together a few years ago and one of our daughters-in-law was reading an alphabet book to two of our grandchildren. The kids were about three and five years old. After a while, the five year old cried despondently and said, “She’s younger than I am and she knows her letters better than I do.” His mother wisely asked, “Is this a contest?”. He had to laugh and he said no, it wasn’t. I thought this was the best attitude ever and I love it. Life shouldn’t be a competition and yet, I was taught it is. From now on I’m going to ask myself that when I’m out for a walk and people are zooming past me or when I don’t understand what’s happening in my language class or in countless other situations: Is this a contest? No, Mary. It’s not.

Photo courtesy nunziog666 at Pixabay.com