Sometimes living slower is a simple as sleeping in. At least for me it is. Actually, I guess, it's giving myself permission to sleep in. We all have different internal time clocks. Mine is normally set to early morning. But when I'm been pushing myself, staying up too late, getting up extra early on some mornings to catch the early ferry, and ignoring my body's need for more rest, occasionally I need to let go and let my sleep catch up with me.
Whatever it is that makes me feel guilty if I sleep in needs to be quieted at times. Why is it that other people don't give it a second thought to sleeping later into the morning? Why do I have that inner voice, that innate push to get up? My guilt, if I take the time to listen to it, takes the form of judgment: sleeping in is lazy, wasting time, non-productive, slothful, a vice.
Living on the island has let me move the time that I awaken before guilt sets in....from 4:30 to 6:30. But anything after that causes me discomfort. Perhaps part of it is from my family of orientation, part from having so much Scottish blood flowing in my veins, in part from simply being an American.
Much has been written about why we have different perceptions of time, due to cultural differences, ageing,
punctuality, organization, scheduling....all topics to be addressed at a future time I'm sure.
For now, letting myself occasionally sleep in is a big enough deal for me, and one more small step toward living more slowly.
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