The Busy Band-Aid

“What if we stopped celebrating being busy as a measurement of importance? What if instead we celebrated how much time we had spent listening, pondering, meditating, and enjoying time with the most important people in our lives?” - Greg McKeown

Busy is not a badge of honor. Rushing from one thing to the next does not equal success. Feeling stressed out or tired or impatient or drained does not make you better at your job or more admirable to your loved ones.

I wonder sometimes, why are we so afraid to slow down?

I suppose it can be a million different things. A perceived need to prove ourselves, an unwillingness to say no, or perhaps even a fear that if we finally slow down, we may actually feel something.

Busy is numbing.

Stress is avoidance.

Tired is poor self-care.

So what if we stopped using being busy as a band-aid? What if we stopped glorifying stress and started celebrating the sweet softness in between breaths, rejoicing when we reclaim precious moments of each day to practice care for ourselves, and measuring our success in the times we are able to be fully engaged and present with those we love?