Living in Jalingo has been trying to teach me to slow down since I arrived. Many of the strategies it has attempted haven’t been my mechanisms of choice i.e. slow internet, random power outages, waiting 15 minutes for a taxi before remembering why I trek everywhere. However, today I recognize the value of taking 3 hours to complete a task that could have been accomplished in 20 minutes. Whereas back home, I’m certain I never considered that to be a valuable skill. Now, accomplishing a 3 hour task in 20 minutes that was frequently a goal and occasionally attained.
Today, I was able to appreciate the value in slowing down long enough to:
-eat oranges with the magazine salesman and find out that he is getting his masters in Agricultural Science;
-sit down and have a 15 minute conversation with a woman who sits alone at a mattress shop all day;
-learn a few new Hausa phrases from the guy who tried to fix my phone, was willing to lend me a charger in a crunch;
-reduce my “solider-like” pace so that I could walk with a group of little Muslim girls who were thrilled to “shake me”;
-express my gratitude that my pocket-sized supermarket had finally stocked Diet Coke and let them know low-fat milk would be a good next step;
-heed a “tsssst” from across the way to explain why I don’t want to print my digital pictures from a standard printer while holding the smiliest Nigerian baby I had ever seen;
-sit down outside the restaurant by my house to listen to the little girls’ song and memory verse from school today.
Now, while I recognize that having more than 10 stops and conversations doesn’t necessarily sound like slowing down, for me it is. I wasn’t in a hurry. I was able to sit and linger in conversation with people without checking my watch. As I sit here, I wonder if this scenario is possible in the US. I know that I can purposefully free up my schedule, but would there be the same opportunities for impromptu, leisurely conversation or is everyone such a slave to pre-determined activities that even if I did make a conscious effort to make myself available would there be anyone around to interact with? I used to associate slowing down with being lazy, unproductive, and lonely, but I am beginning to see it in a new light.
5 comments:
You will have to go without the watch then :)
As I write, I have on my person, two timepieces (wrist watch & cell phone), before me three time pieces (computer clock, Pocket PC clock, cordless telephone clock) and behind me on the table an analog battery clock!!!! We, in the US, are, as you have observed, obsessed with time and time keeping. I learned to, literally, eat very quickly while at Iowa State University, in order to make it to the next class on time(!!!!). It is 43 years since graduating and I still have not learned to eat more slowly -- and I'm retired!!!!
Remind us, Carolyn, of the value to taking time.
And remind yourself of that, as well.
Peace,
Mike Biklen
I love Steven's comment there! And yes, I too, am learning to slow down, even here in the USA. Love ya!
It really is possible & enjoyable to others. I work on a schedule, but those moments where there are 5-10 min. between things, I have found myself reading or sitting with my eyes closed relaxing or chatting with someone in their office or a hallway to simply catch up with what's going on in their life. Don't worry, Carolyn, you don't have to lose this treasure. It might be slightly masked or at a lesser degree but not erased out of your vocabulary.
Ah, yes, the art of slowing down! What a hard lesson to learn, and yes, hard to keep practicing in the US. You raise some good questions, but, yes, I do believe it's possible to have impromptu conversations while out and about--harder maybe because everyone is in such a rush--but, possible! The key is being open to the possibility of it and not being in a hurry yourself--I think those are the keys anyway! Thanks for reminder to slow down--I needed it! Love, Amy
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