Slower is Smarter

This morning I saw a great, and ever so appropriate (at least for this entry) bumper sticker. It said, "Drive Smarter. Drive Slower." For a runner that nearly gets run over every morning, I was very appreciative of this mobile marketing campaign.

Every morning I run the same big square around Naperville rain or shine, deep freeze or sweltering heat, and tempt fate as I come to various intersections. The frustrated commuters have one thing on their mind - get to work and as fast as possible. They pay no attention to the morning light, the soft snow falling, the sweet aroma of bacon from the restaurants downtown serving breakfast, and most of all to the pedestrians. As I dash across intersections a predictable drama unfolds: I take a couple steps, the driver only looking to the left tries to make a right hand turn on red, he or she nearly runs me off the road, and I shake my head at the commuter's grand apology (arms wave, brow raises, face stresses, lips silently mouth "I'm SORRY!")

This is not a scenario unique to the morning in Naperville. All over America, at all hours of the day, we move at a hurried pace from one activity to the next. I wonder if we even enjoy the things we are doing in the moment because we are always worried how and how fast we will get to the next activity.

I read a novel recently which talked a lot about the culture and tempo of Eastern Europe. The author described it as having a much slower pace than America. He said, "Everyone in American is hurrying so they can make money, but when there is no money to be made, we slow down." Is this true? Is this why everyone in America can't slow down - - because there is money out there, dangling from a string, that we will run in circles to capture?

We hypothesize a lot in our culture about winning the lottery. If we win millions and strike it rich, then we can take it easy. At this hypothetical, ultimate and perfect point in our lives, then we can relax and enjoy life. For some, a culmination of the frenzied pace may come in the form of an unprecedented corporate bonus, for others it may come at retirement. However, until you reach your rest cycle, I urge you to find one or two activities in your life, where you strive to take things a little slower. Give attention to and appreciate each beat in your life's rhythm.

Though I don't hold myself as an ideal or a shining example of someone who has overcome the rush, I believe I have made some big strides in the way I approach two aspects of my daily routine. After work, I go from a sprint, to a walking pace - for music lovers, an adagio, and I have witnessed the quality within these parts of my day progress from amateur to more refined.

First, Cooking

I have written about it before, but cooking is one of my passions. It is a hobby that I research, practice, and converse about on a daily basis. In one of my marketing classes last year, we traced the image and branding of the Betty Crocker Cookbook from her roots as a homemaker with a heritage and portfolio of lovingly prepared meals, to a working woman who needed to be equipped with meal solutions which could be prepared quickly and efficiently. Though I celebrate and perhaps embody the working woman who wants to do it all, I also abhor the 30 minute meal.

I cooked from my new Lidia Bastianich cookbook on Saturday evening. I had just watched a show about the local ingredients, flavors and preparation techniques from the Basilicata region of Italy, and decided to try one of Lidia's recipes from that region: A traditional Primi, a baked cherry tomato pasta dish that would go well with my boyfriend's Secondi preferiti, "un Bistecca."

I was dicing garlic, sweet onions, and cherry tomatoes when my boyfriend asked if I wanted to use a food processor. I immediately scoffed at the suggestion. The local women of Italy do not cook with processors. They pit each olive by hand, half each tomato without damaging its sun-kissed skin, and slowly simmer ingredients until each flavor blends together into a mutually beneficial marriage. I love to chop, cook, and savor aromas, because it is the part of my day where I get to slow down. I get to pour a glass of wine and work through each step at my own speed. There is no deadline, except perhaps a stomach growl, but that can easily be mending by said glass of wine and a ripe creamy piece of St. Andre cheese.

If you don't have kids or a husband asking when dinner will be ready, cook slowly. It is an amazing activity, that you should enjoy through and through.

Second, Consuming

When I was in grade school, Thursday nights were rough. After school I went directly to field hockey, basketball or play practice, then to piano, then home to a heaping portion of Linguini with Clam Sauce that I proceeded to inhale, then to a double session of dance class. Though I had become accustomed to scarfing down food for fuel, I used to have to take a break about ten minutes into class some nights, because my babysitter, Debbie's, monstrous portion of pasta, had gotten the better of me.

When younger, there was steep competition between the winner of the who-can-complete-a-meal-faster race. For a good part of my youth, I believe I held the title, but my brother became a master in his high school years, because he knew that the longer he stayed at the table eating, the more questions he would have to field from my mom and dad. While honing my skills of rapid consumption came in handy at various points of my life (Thursdays nights like the ones I described, halftime of lacrosse games when I would scarf down Cheerios to propel my efforts in the second half, and a very un-lady-like Freshman year of college when I was a champion shot gunner) the side effects of indigestion and weight gain were reason enough to change my habits.

Recommendations to take it easy while consuming came a lot in my later years. My parents would say slow down, Katy would say, "Wow, stop drinking so hard," Kristen would look up in amazement as I polished off my salad and she took her first bite. However, I would say I took a major leap in slowing down the pace of consumption this year. The trick for me (and it may not be for everyone, as I am not condoning alcoholism) is to have one glass of wine before dinner and one during dinner. It acts as a catalyst to transition from the frenzy of the workday, into a time set aside for relaxation. It also acts as a prelude and finale to each bite, enhancing each flavor, and it opens taste buds to the complexities and melodies that come from the symphony of flavors.

Though I am still proud of the day I polished off a Tessaro's hamburger in three bites so I could make it to the 7:15 PM show, I am glad to leave scarfing behind.

So ... this evening, as you put another day to rest, think of a way or two that you can slow down your rapid routines. Or at least, if anyone from the city of Naperville is reading, please drive smarter and slower tomorrow morning, and watch out for the friendly runner in the yellow Steelers hat.

Lo