Today I left my rush hour at home and went out on my bike to go and be among the little things I didn’t think I had time for: Autumn colors, leaves dancing in the wind and a bunch of relaxed, furry friends.
We have spent the last couple of weeks settling into a new routine with school, preparing lunch boxes, photo shoots, tossing ideas for new projects with colleagues and friends.
I love being creative and I am very thankful I get time to actually sit down on my living room floor to plan out the week rather than at a desk. And I do love productive mornings at my local favorite coffee shop (with earphones of course :)).
But every once in a while I do get stuck, the weeks are packed, everything is planned out and there is hardly time for fueling up on energy and inspiration. Those are the moments that rather block my flow than let me move forward. Those are the moments I need to s l o w d o w n .
So today I had the chance to just go out and BE instead of do something from my never ending to do list. And when I got on the bike to ride out to the dunes and towards Wassenaar without a real plan or idea in my head, I got really excited – in a very quiet way.
Apart from some avid cycling groups, the occasional walking couple or dog walker, I didn’t encounter a human soul for miles. And when I finally reached Lentevreugd, a wildlife sanctuary in Wassenaar, I was all by myself.
Well, for a while at least … Just when I thought I would spend another hour walking through nature without even a bird in sight, something big and furry appeared behind a bush.
I had read about the Scottish highland kettle grazing there and actually was hoping to get close for a ‘portrait’. But when I saw them in the distance, one suddenly locked eyes with me. And then started walking towards me. It was still from a safe distance, but when the other cows moved into the same direction, I made way for them. Not worth being challenged, eh ;)?
Even though I could still hear cars in the distance and working machines, I could forget for a while where I was or who I was. I just focused on not stepping in big piles of cow droppings and ultimately … my breath.
No time. Nowhere to run. Nothing to achieve.
Remember to celebrate the season, the changing of the leaves, the different quality of the air. Fuel up on time outdoors and spend the evenings with an inspiring book or a board game. Call someone you miss and tell them just that. Nurture yourself and take stock of what really matters to you.
And do slow down. Because … nature is too.
