Scheduling slow time when you’re the busiest

“The best time to relax is when you don’t have time for it”.
Sydney J. Harris

September has been the busiest I have ever been, in the most beautiful of ways.

This month began on the beaches of Southern France, and will end in the mountains of Alberta.

In between, I’ve planned and hosted 3 work events, and most notably, I hosted a very special 40th birthday brunch with my closest people.

Our calendar is starting to fill up with future gatherings that are taking the shape of comedy nights, spa dates, book clubs, watch parties, dinner parties and yes, even Christmas gatherings.

I have a few behind-the-scenes projects on the go that I aim to complete this year, and I’m already planning projects for next year.

And, of course, in the midst of all this planning and showing up, unexpected things pop up that shift attention, and intention.

When this sort of busyness happens, there is a practice I’ve learned to do that helps me stay in control of my time and my peace.

I purposely schedule time to rest.

I block off time in my calendar for slowness and pause.

They are the dates I don’t offer as ‘available‘.

That time is sacredly saved to do absolutely nothing other than enjoy being at home, or doing slow activities of replenishment before the next busy event.

It’s creating time to savour the brief stillness of September.

It’s making time to process the wonderful experiences that may have already passed, but that still linger in my heart.

It’s carving out time to notice the gentle hums of beauty found in a morning coffee walk, a tender touch, or the way the sky glows after an early Autumn storm.