Mainlining Sanity

Waiving a "Hurry Up"

Several years ago, while working for a children's dentist, I carefully mixed cement to afix a crown on a baby tooth. My boss - the dentist - waved his free hand frantically, in an effort to get me to hurry. Many things would cause my dentist to want me to hurry: behavioral problems or fatigue with the child patient, excessive saliva, a cramping jaw, but mostly his own impatience - a very human trait. But here's the thing, you can't hurry up how you mix dental cement. It has to be mixed precisely and timely. It just was what it was. I knew this was the case, as did my boss - a children's dentist of 35 years. But nevertheless, he still would wave the hurry hand at me. Which I promptly chose to waive.

For the last two weeks, I have been vacationing in the Cook Islands. The Islanders - those native to the islands - were never in a hurry. As a matter of fact, if you - as a visitor to the islands - displayed any kind of frustration with their lack of focus and attention to time, they would purposefully slow down. I soon learned to keep "island time." And in that effort, I learned to find moments where sanity could settle in - where I could sit back and actually mainline sanity into my life.

Spending an hour or two daily riding around the island, we soon learned to say, "We're on vacation, for Pete's sake, we are not in a hurry." The people of Rarotonga have perfected the waive of the hurry hand. It is non-existent. As I became more familiar with my surroundings and learned more about the land I was visiting, I could see almost imperceptible value in their simple but joyful way of life. There were no traffic jams, not because there were not cars, but because slow and simple is the way. There were no alarm clocks, because the sun is what wakes you - that, and stray roosters. There were no late night television talk shows, because when it is dark, that is when you sleep.

Learning to be more productive, more fruitful when I need to be - when the sun is shining - doesn't mean I have to be in a hurry or wave the hurry hand at those with whom I work or live. The hurry hand represents frustration and a dismissal of value, real value. The only hand I waved while on the island was to passing motorists - island visitors - unhappy with our unhurried scooter speed, "Please, feel free to pass us..."

Mainlining Sanity should not be an unattainable dream or a two-weeks a year quest (vacation). It should be embedded into our psyche and allowed to freely spill over into our lives. We are not automatons or robots. We are people, flesh and blood. Nutrition must coincide with rest in order to preserve our bodies. It is not a wish, it is a must. A must I now gladly recognize and welcome as I say, "I'm home."

by rayannethorn

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Maureen Sharib on May 2, 2011 at 11:13am

Welcome home.

I thought you'd come back with a lot of new ideas!

(You didn' miss much.)

;)

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on May 2, 2011 at 1:51pm

Welcome back Rayanne.

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Permalink Reply by Andy Gregory on May 2, 2011 at 2:55pm

Welcome Home and Welcome Back, Rayanne

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on May 2, 2011 at 3:01pm

1 in a row. #StartingAgain

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Permalink Reply by Tom Dimmick on May 2, 2011 at 4:26pm

Welcome back. How's the traffic? The "Hurry Hand" I usually see on the road has only one digit. Must be another kind of energy conservation.

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Permalink Reply by Amber on May 2, 2011 at 4:44pm

Glad you're back, and your trip sounds like it was fantastic.

I had to learn about slowing down my pace (at least on the outside!) when I moved to the South almost 20 years ago. As a girl from the East Coast, it was quite a shock and adjustment. I guess for the most part I live at that pace now, but sometimes my "hurry hand" still waves wildly on the inside!

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Permalink Reply by Ineke Read on May 2, 2011 at 9:29pm

Fabulous post! I agree - on our side of the world I had a similar experience on Vanuatu - it makes you wonder what we are all in such a hurry for? I also would like to add that blackberrys/iphones etc also have had a bit of a negative impact - I had a candidate ask me today whether I got the email that he sent 10mins ago as he hadn't had a response yet! Seeing people out at lunch together both emailing instead of talking is so sad. We need to make sure that human contact is not lost over technology.