Small doings

Sometimes we make big steps, we even take leaps toward our dreams and it feels scary, wonderful, exciting…

The rest of the time, we move in a smaller way.

Small doings, daily steps, routine, we glide softly along, using the momentum of previous bold moves, or simply walking calmly without any sense of urgency.

If you are rather a doer, like me, these periods of calm may feel like stalling. It is not, though.

Small things do matter and small actions do add up. A little step at a time can bring us in a very new place. It’s all a question of direction, of consistence, of perseverance.

First of all we can’t be rushing ahead all the time, and we need slow moments to replenish, but also, if we hurry too much, we miss on a lot of things, a lot of minuscule wonders, of minute happenings, easy to ignore, to pass by. And like the big stuff, they have their place in our lives.

Small things can be significant. Small things can make a difference.

For example, one doesn’t need to give enormous amount of money to be a philanthropist. A little donation will always help the chosen cause, little donors make a huge difference. It’s tempting to dismiss small moves as being useless or insignificant. That is a mistake. First of all, any small move in the general direction of our goal is better than none. But also, keeping in motion will permit to grow momentum again and furthermore we don’t loose track. Which in itself is crucial.

Slow motion means we can also take bearings, adjust, reorient a bit. Evaluate and take stock of what has been done.

Lately I have been in a slow motion phase.

At first it felt good, then it started to make me feel uncomfortable: I was not getting so much done, I was slacking, I was not playing full out… But that is only one way to look at it. The doer’s way. And I know by experience that the contemplative part of me needs to be acknowledged and given license to run the show sometimes. It is actually vital to my work. The trick is to slow down enough to get passed the urge to accelerate for a while, and allow the flow to grow slower but also wider. To enlarge the vision, to let go of the focus a little, temporarily, for a more sweeping view.

I know that I will soon get back into swifter moving, I always do. But just for now, I will smell the roses. Take the natural curve of Autumn, this extravagant all out effortless abundance and colors, before the inward plunge. I will cook and walk on the beach and take photos. I will read and eat and think of paintings to come. And see where that brings me. One small step at a time.

To your journey!

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