I'm not sure how this semester or quarter went for everyone, but phew, was this a quick and busy one! It involved a great deal of hustling and bustling around to class, to work, and to places I just had to be. During my free time, I was scrolling and typing and worrying about how slow I was getting things done. Meeting deadlines (and not meeting them) are a regular part of the daily life. And everything only continues to get increasingly fast-paced.

Being in the middle of speed, it's hard to slow down regularly and find the time. Well, that's what I thought until I read about the Slow Food movement that had started in Italy. The Slow Food Movement has been around since the 80s with the goal to combat the quick nature of our contemporary world with food. They advocate for sustainable eating habits as well as the value of sitting down and having a meal to slow down our lives and to take a break from the fast system that we take part in every day and every hour of our lives.

That makes total sense. We weren't made to be automated, fast-paced machines. So why wouldn't we take the time to slow down and have a green salad, or share a large bowl of pasta with family or friends. Yes, eating fulfills our survival requirement of having something to run off of, but slowing down to make an experience out of it has social and mental benefits too. It can be easy to succumb to skipping breakfast, grabbing a quick sandwich on the go, or gobbling down a quick plate of something before heading out somewhere.

I suggest trying taking it slow one day.

Take as little as 30 minutes to sit down, breathe and focus on eating. It can be a daily meditation, something small - it doesn't have to be a large, sudden change, but small steps can be taken to help slow down the already ridiculously hectic world.