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the joy of slowness
May. 25th, 2005 09:29 amThis morning I made my usual morning coffee (French press, very strong), but instead of tossing the beans into the ancient but very efficient Braun electric bean grinder I normally use, I used a hand-crank grinder that I bought online a few weeks ago (no, I have to admit, not one of the uber-cool English-made pass on to your grandkids heirloom varieties from Lehman's. but a $30 Chinese knock-off from Overstock.com, *sigh*, we all do what we can do...) Anyway, It took me maybe a couple of minutes instead of 10 seconds to grind my coffee beans, and what I got in return for those few precious minutes was the enjoyment of turning the crank, the lovely feel and sensation of the beans being ground by my hand's work, being able to tweak the grind wheel adjustment half-way through to make a slightly finer grind exactly to my taste, the small moral bonus of not using a small amount of electricity, being able to share the task with my son by allowing him the fun of turning the wheel at the end, and, just the ability to relax and enjoy the process, ironically making my morning a little less, not more rushed, for having chosen to take a few more minutes in that way.
( Read more... )
We're all exhausted, we're trying to find ways to fit more things in our lives, to do more with less, there seems to be less and less time. especially "free time." Ironically, I think the answer to this problem is not to find ways of doing the tasks we need to do faster and more efficiently, rather it's to spend more time on what we choose to do, and at the same time to be more intentional about what we do, and how we do it. So I will choose to do less, and make what I do count more.
I "lost" five minutes this morning grinding my coffee beans in a hand-crank grinder. I gained the experience and enjoyment of of doing it, a little bit of time shared with my son, his enjoyment of the process with me, a certain sense of accomplishment, saving a little energy, and, perhaps incidentally, a better cup of coffee. I think I came out ahead.
( Read more... )
We're all exhausted, we're trying to find ways to fit more things in our lives, to do more with less, there seems to be less and less time. especially "free time." Ironically, I think the answer to this problem is not to find ways of doing the tasks we need to do faster and more efficiently, rather it's to spend more time on what we choose to do, and at the same time to be more intentional about what we do, and how we do it. So I will choose to do less, and make what I do count more.
I "lost" five minutes this morning grinding my coffee beans in a hand-crank grinder. I gained the experience and enjoyment of of doing it, a little bit of time shared with my son, his enjoyment of the process with me, a certain sense of accomplishment, saving a little energy, and, perhaps incidentally, a better cup of coffee. I think I came out ahead.
