I have a tendency to rush.

This is actually an understatement. If you said that to my closest friends, they’d laugh and say you have no idea. I can make a new hobby into a routine then into a stressor in the blink of an eye.

When I first learned to crochet, I completed 20 projects in the first 3 weeks. Last year I tried dabbling in painting again after a break of several years, and before I knew it, my dining room was filled with paintings. I don’t do things by halves, and I don’t slow down. So it’s probably no one’s surprise that when I burn out, I also burn out hard.

For me, Slow by Brooke McAlary came at just the right time. The book is part memoir and part practical, providing insight into the benefits of slowing down and how to do it. It is not about simply living slow everyday, but to know when to speed up and when to slow down. Not everything has to be done at breakneck speed, and more isn’t always better. The ebbs and flows of life are natural, and identifying what is important and deserving of your attention is far healthier than charging at things full speed indiscriminately.

Truly slowing down, however, is more difficult than I expected. There are days when I’m able to stop, reflect, and approach the tasks in front of me with intention, and then there are days when I’m flailing about like a cartoon with six arms, trying to do everything at once without pausing to eat or breathe. I count it as a win, however, that the frantic days are fewer in number than a year prior. Even slowing down is a, well, slow process.

Slow is a short and easy read. I’ve recommended it to several friends already. Anyone can benefit from a dose of slow and intentional in my opinion. And if you find yourself going a little too fast, take a breath, sit somewhere comfortable, and read Slow.