The Lizard and The Labyrinth

I've been watching this lizard from my breakfast nook window pretty much all summer long as I savor my morning coffee. He's kind of an odd little fella, really, preparing for some sort of race it seems. Or maybe just his day. Or life. As if he's scaling Mount Everest, he climbs up slowly from the bottom, ever so determined to get to the rim, only to vacillate between clinging on for dear life, stopping for strength training with a few push ups, and moving with purpose around the circle, as if counting his laps. 

This lizard's behavior makes me ponder the fable about the Tortoise and the Hare. Unlike the Hare, this lizard isn't ever really in a hurry. And like the Tortoise, he appears to have the world by the tail and all day to finish whatever he's doing.

So which do you tend to be -- the Tortoise or the Hare? 

I'm learning so much this summer as I rest, restore, and reflect. I'm in training, to be more Tortoise-like.

Author Ann Voskamp (One Thousand Gifts) says that "hurrying makes us hurt" because it "empties the soul." She encourages us to "slow down to savor." So that's what I'm training to do. 

Slowing. 

Savoring.

Here's the next book I'll be reading.

It couldn't have been a coincidence that last night my friend Laura invited me to walk a labyrinth with her. So I went. The Hare in me typically power walks, in a hurry, because a walk has to be for exercise, not enjoyment. But the Tortoise decided that a spiral stroll might do me some good. Besides, I've wanted to experience the labyrinth ever since my friend Rhythm wrote about it back in May at the Reading With Rhythm blog {here}.

It was nightfall, like 8:10 pm and totally past my bedtime, but I'd had a good nap, so we headed to a park down the road and started walking, I from the outside in, she from the middle out. The cicadas serenaded as darkness settled in around us. And we just strolled. In a circle. Without saying a thing. Slowly. Savoring. We crossed twice. In silence. Then we shared our take aways and promised to stroll it again soon.

And it. was. nice.  

No hurrying, just healing. 

No emptying, just enlivening.

And I slept really well last night.

You might enjoy reading about the five skills (one of which is savoring!) that will increase your happiness {here}.

That little lizard might be on to something.