The Slow Lane

One thing I enjoy is reading the newspaper in the morning. Today, in The News & Observer on page 2B, an article, “Get help adapting in difficult times”, caught my attention enough to read it more carefully.

George Vailant, Harvard University Psychiatrist, will deliver the annual lecture today to the N.C. Psychoanalytic Foundation: “It’s my life: Adapting in Changing Economic Times.” As summarized in the article recommended adaptations include “looking ahead, postponing gratification and finding outlets for feelings.”

You can read the entire article at:

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1548044.html

I see some ideas that fit my “slow lane” perspective: Resist impulsive moves, Take a creative approach, and Help your neighbor. Choosing positive emotions and maintaining a steady pace may not yield lots of peak experiences, but they help avoid potential catastrophes.

6 AM

8 AM

 

Wake up, get dressed, put on the coffee, look out the window and see river fog that is like a big white cloud obscuring all the ridges between us and the Blue Ridge Parkway. From our cabin we can see the Mount Jefferson overlook on the Parkway about 4 miles away as the crow flies. That ridge is showing above the fog. The fog dissipated over about 2 hours while the scene constantly changed as various features in the picture came into view. That’s what I like about the slow lane.

Slowly, my projects are moving ahead one step at a time. I changed out a defective control knob in the newly remodeled shower, framed the door jam, installed hinges and hung the bathroom door, and installed door facing inside and out.

During the day we’ve had a variety of birds at our feeders: titmice, chickadees, cardinals, gold finches, nuthatches doves, blue jays, a red bellied woodpecker, a robin, and the most rare was an indigo bunting. We also saw a humming bird occasionally.

Ahhh, the slow lane!

My blog is titled ” The Slow Lane”.  It has nothing to do with holding up  traffic on the highway.  Rather, it is a phrase that seems to fit my perspective on many things and may be a relevant descriptor of my personality. 

When I’m working on a project, I work slowly.  I focus on the process and take my time to do it “right” as best I can.  I tackle a number of projects of various types with a do-it-yourself attitude.  Working on my own  projects enables me to save many repair and improvement expenses.

I was advised once by my college professor, “If you are going to do something anyway, it doesn’t cost one cent more to enjoy doing it.”   I’ve often been able to apply this advice when I’m doing something that’s difficult, dirty, or otherwise unpleasant.  I usually enjoy the challenge or the accomplishment even if the process is not always pleasant.

Learning how to blog is a slow process.