I’m sure that most of us are aware that many people, almost everywhere one goes, are in a hurry.  It causes me to think about how to deflect the tension I can feel from those people that I encounter.  Sometimes, the anxiousness that is projected from a person can be understood just by viewing the situation at hand.  And this can provide the opportunity to perhaps do something simple to help. I am talking about small things. One of these things is letting someone go ahead of you in a grocery line.  I do this regularly, since I try to never be in a hurry when shopping. I don’t shop much, but often, I have let more than one person go ahead of me. The look of relief and a smile is more than enough reason to do this.  I love to say, “I’m not in a hurry. Go ahead.”

The place I dread to see this “hurried” behavior the most though, is while driving.  I can “feel” the anger and tension of other drivers in heavy traffic. I avoid this situation as much as I can, but it is impossible to do this all the time.  I will never understand the driver that tails, passes and drives erratically, changing lanes, just to meet you at the next traffic signal. And then, they continue to do this, from light to light, even though it doesn’t do a thing to get them somewhere sooner.

Believe it or not, Neil DeGrasse Tyson wrote a book entitled, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry.  But I fear this is not the publication to deal with this issue.  And, that title or subject matter would likely not attract those individuals either.  Being able to see oneself as others do is a skill few of us have.  When one is in a hurry, the focus is not on others.  Instead it is a journey for one.

Being in a hurry often has a negative impact, both to the one in a hurry and the ones around them.  I say “Relax.” Only hurry when it is necessary. Sometimes it is necessary.  But our culture is stressful enough.  Choosing to slow down and enjoy the times you have now, will make slowing down when you don’t have a choice a much more pleasant place to be.