Slow Down

“What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare?—

No time to stand beneath the boughs,

And stare as long as sheep and cows:

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.”

— William Henry Davies

This is a poem I came across the other day that honestly really hit me.

If you’re struggling to understand its significance, let me explain.

It’s so easy to get so caught up in your own life and disregard everything else that you should cherish and be grateful for.

And you don’t know the pain of it until it’s gone.

It’s easy to get caught up in your goals.

or what you want to accomplish,

or what your life will be like once you achieve certain things.

We sit thinking about what our life ‘might be like’ one day and quite easily disregard the present and the good things we have at this very moment.

It’s almost like we’re all waiting for our lives to be perfect before we truly live.

Sadly, my dog died two weeks ago as I write this, and now that she’s gone, I realise how real and prevalent this poem can be in all of our lives.

I’m never going to see her again, and I'm never going to get any of those moments back again.

Now, I’m not asking for you to feel sorry for me, I just want you to understand that all of the small moments you have right now, whether it be the ability to talk to your parents, chill with friends in the sun, or walk your dog, will sadly all be gone one day, and you’ll never be able to get them back.

I know all of you who read this have things you want to do with your lives, and it’s incredibly hard to not think about them.

But my advice is to try not to get caught up in the ‘busyness’ of your life, fail to look around, and completely disregard the good moments you have, and the things you should be grateful for.

Don’t wait until your life is ‘perfect’ before you truly live.

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

Oli.