When You Notice You’re Rushing

This week, I caught myself moving too fast.

Katy and I were walking to the beach, and she gently pointed out that I was rushing ahead. I realized I was focused on getting there, instead of actually being on the walk.

It felt like a small thing, but it showed me something about the week.

My mind had been full: finishing the pond, participating in a meditation retreat, preparing for Big Sur, and trying to keep up with everything that needed attention.

The body often reveals the pace of the mind.

Later, when I saw stones stacked near the ocean, I thought about how balance requires a slower kind of attention.

The Insight

The busier I get, the more easily I start moving through life as if everything is just something to get through.

The walk becomes a way to reach the beach.

The morning becomes a way to start the workday.

The task becomes a way to reach the next task.

But the body usually knows before the mind does.

Walking too fast can be a sign that something inside is also moving too fast. The breath gets shallow. The attention narrows. The nervous system starts acting as if speed will solve the pressure.

Meditation gives us a different pattern.

We notice we are thinking. We return to the breath. We notice we are rushing. We return to the step.

Nothing dramatic has to happen. The shift can be very small: slowing the pace, feeling the feet, letting the breath arrive on its own.

Sometimes when I walk more slowly, I notice a spontaneous deep inhale. It feels like the body remembering that it is safe.

That is the practice.

Not forcing stillness, but creating the conditions where stillness can return.

The Practice

The next time you notice yourself rushing, slow your body before trying to fix your mind.

Walk a little slower. Feel one foot touch the ground. Then the other.

Let the breath move without forcing it.

You can silently ask:

Am I here, or am I already trying to get somewhere else?

If the mind is moving quickly, give it one simple place to return.

The breath. The feet. The sound around you. The next step.

Like stacking stones, balance does not usually come from force. It comes from attention, patience, and small adjustments.

Move slowly enough for the moment to hold you.

Heard this week

If you move too fast, everything collapses. Balance asks for a slower kind of attention.