If you are reading my blogs, you know I have one of three themes: attitude, blindness, and dogs. Many times, I incorporate all three into one. And of course, many times, my personal life inspires what I write about.

This morning, as I walked with my precious pup, I pondered how much easier we walked if I let her decide when to speed up and when to slow down. I do give her a gentle hop-up initially; however, sometimes, she can’t, and waits until “all is clear” before she picks up speed on her own and trots faster.

Aren’t we all like this?

I want to walk fast all the time. Full speed ahead! Never mind the obstacles, roadblocks, dogs, or people—we should blindly walk forward no matter what, right?

Of course, life isn’t that way. We slow down, breathe, and relax for we know the rush will soon be upon us. The rush when we run around with our heads cut off and don’t have time for anything!

What if we went with the flow?
What if we were okay with the calm?
What if we were fine with the rush?

There are always times in our lives when we are hurried and times when we seem to wait forever for that incredible something to happen. The trick is to be at peace no matter what.

You know, when I used to sing arias with lots of running 16^th notes, the trick to singing the passages smoothly and perfectly was that, no matter how fast I sang, I thought slow. If I thought I was singing fast, I’d end up like a train running downhill, picking up speed, getting out of control, and crashing and burning into a vocal disaster. Or, as my former piano teacher would say, “Two times slow—like a snail’s pace—for every time fast-normal speed.”

If we think our life is fast and out of control, then, we will be out of control until we somehow crash mentally or physically. If we always walk like a snail, (allowing my pup to sniff), then we don’t get anywhere and get frustrated.

Staying balanced, going with the flow, letting life take care of life. There’s no rushing, no hurrying, no deadlines that can’t be met! You just have to follow your own rhythm, sing your own song, and walk at your own speed. No one can tell you what is your pace. Only you know what is comfortable for you.

I challenge you to check out how you are walking through life. Are you happy in your own skin? Are you going with the pulse and pace of life? Are you at peace? If so, you are going with the flow. If not, you may need to stop, look, listen, vote, and then take action and do what your heart says you want to do! In this way—stopping, looking, listening, voting, and doing—you will change the way you see, and change the way you live.

P.S.— next time I’ll talk about the 5 essential steps for self-care.