Want More Leisure in Your Life? Slow Down.

Slowing down is a valuable resource that offers a chance to revive. Have you ever stepped outside, flipping through your phone, wondering how you are going to get everything done you set out to do in the day, and you hear a noise so loud that you stop what you’re doing and lookup?

That happened to me yesterday. The trilling of a bird made the most distinct backyard bird sound. If you can imagine a yodel crossed with a Maria Callas aria, that’s as close as I can get. Sheer joy mixed with jubilant innocence spiraled from her beak. Stopping to notice and recognize the beauty of her singing caused a reaction in me that lifted my spirits.

I put down my phone. Surprised by my movements, the bird flew off. Then my eye caught dozens of honey bees hovering a cluster of flower buds begging to open. Do you know music a honey bee makes when approaching a blooming flower? Her sound reminds me of a cat’s purr — the sound of comfort and delight.

When I picked up my phone again, I had a different perspective. No longer worried about the questions and commands coming my way, I realized what I needed — a walk, a leisurely 15-minute stroll down the sidewalks my neighborhood to give myself some space.

There are two kinds of demands in the world that require attention from us. There are external demands — the…