Erica Tucci

“Slow down, you move too fast,
You gotta make the morning last…”

Do you remember these lyrics from the song “Feeling Groovy” by Simon and Garfunkel?

Those were the words that started playing in my head a few days ago. And rightly so! I have been attempting to do too much lately because I am excited about what I see on the horizon. The problem is this…by traveling in the “fast lane,” I am once again reverting back to my old way of being, or should I say, my old way of “doing.” And isn’t that one reason why I had my stroke…to get off the treadmill of life? To slow down to a snail’s pace? Have I not learned the lesson yet?

Jeez, it can be so difficult to change old habits. What does it take to completely surrender the need to control our lives (which is why I keep doing, doing, doing)? To know that we really don’t have the control we think we have, at least not complete control.

Yes, we as humans have free will to make choices about how we wish our lives to run, based on the situations we are presented with. But the “ultimate” path our lives take is determined by a power much greater than the human will, lest we get off track and need nudging to get back on.

I apologize if I have talked so much about surrender in my posts, but I have found this to be a challenge for many people. We seem to feel such a need to have total control over every aspect of our lives, that we can’t just relax into living to “stop and smell the roses.” We just go and go and go!

At least that is what I thought before my stroke. And I didn’t realize how controlling I was until I tried to relinquish that control and put trust and faith in Spirit, our Creator. It has been a difficult journey and it’s not over yet! I still find myself wanting to jump back on the treadmill and push forward, neglecting to slow down enough to enjoy the journey and being more mindful of everything I do. But each time I do, Spirit stops me in my tracks. I have had three setbacks in my recovery so far, where Spirit has bonked me on my head to get me to slow down and release my grip.

They say “three’s a charm.” Well, since I have reached my limit, I hope my most recent setback will be my last! 🙂

What about you? Do you have a need to control every facet of your life? If so, why? Is it because of a feeling of lack or worthlessness? Or the fear of being rejected or abandoned? Are there feelings of guilt, shame or blame trying to rear their ugly heads? Do you feel disconnected from Spirit and have lost any sense of faith that you are being supported by a higher power? How do we get past these negative energies that have imprinted themselves in our minds?

My belief is this…if we can slow down the treadmill to a snail’s pace, we can then find the time to turn inward and regain our connection with the Divine. By doing so through prayer and meditation or whatever means that is suitable, we can receive the inner guidance that will help us move along the path of our life more organically. There will be no need for us to “make things happen” willfully. Everything will simply occur according to a plan set in place by the collaboration between us and Providence. Remember that we are co-creators of our lives with the Divine. We do our part and then turn it over to the Higher Power to do the rest.

So, won’t you join me in my very slow travels on top of a snail’s back? 🙂