The Right Pace

Today’s drawing of Mary Magdalene

I am looking forward to the slower pace of the summer. After weeks of intense work, it’s my hope to slow down, be able to think and plan, and just enjoy simple things, like a picnic in the park with friends.

Remembering the time of Hurricane Maria, I could feel again the sensations of slow living. I was in Puerto Rico at the time, and when the hurricane hit, my mother and I were stuck in her house without electricity or running water. We had only one full tank of gasoline, so we couldn’t really go too far. And we ended up paying a plumber most of our cash to fix the clogged pipes to clear the mud that invaded them after the intense rains.

In reality, we were fine. And compared to what other people had to go through, we were living in luxury.

And in fact, I felt like I was living the most luxurious life I had enjoyed in a long time. I could spend the whole day reading, thinking and sleeping. I could do nothing for the first time since my early 20s. And I could simply lie around all day, with a small library of novels I found in my mother’s living room.

Then we started going out and noticed how people talked to each other. There were a lot of lines and no cell service, so all you had were other people. At night, the only place in town with enough electricity to keep the lights on and make ice for drinks was the bar “La Oficina”, The Office, where people gathered as if they were living in a never ending party.

People were also helping each other, sharing what was available, gathering resources to go up to the mountains to help people in greater need. Everyone contributed and everyone gathered, and enjoyed a simple moment with other human beings.

I will never forget those moments, not so much because of the destruction, but because of the reconstruction. It was as if we all became more human and more alive after facing death.

And that is what it takes: to face death in order to recognize life. It’s kind of sad, but it’s true.

Which makes me think that one of the good things about the time I was sick was precisely the opportunity to rest and live slowly. That is also sad: that we need to get sick in order to recover a human pace.

It’s probable that what I perceive as positive will be a negative for others. Slow living seems super boring if you enjoy action! The real question is: how do we create a life that runs at our own pace? Although the truth is: sometimes we need a little of the opposite for contrast and appreciation.

It’s all about balance, and the desire to live fully.