When John was 3, I made a 16 mm movie for a class. It was abstract. It involved giant road signs saying, “You Slow Down!” and my 3-year-old doing one of his favorite activities — dragging all the yard tools onto the top of my car.
My teacher didn’t give me a good grade because (a) there was no logic to it (so?) and (b) there were too many jump cuts (point taken). But who can see a sign like that and not want to take a picture of it? “You Slow Down!”
Wherever I drove today, there were too many crowds and too few parking spaces. An anxious vibe was abroad in the land.
Fortunately, there are activities that invariably slow me down: an hour at tai chi, with lots of ocean breathing; a couple hours playing with grandchildren and singing with them to John’s guitar; an amble among the hurried shoppers; doing my exercises; drinking hot cider; writing about it all. I can’t do any of that fast.
Now I have a question. Does ambling among hurried shoppers just make them irritated or help to calm them, too?
The photo below shows my boss’s boss’s boss’s boss moderating the tempo at work yesterday.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 