Do you ever find yourself rushing or moving fast for no reason? I do, and I noticed it acutely when I moved to Atlanta from DC in 2007. At first it felt like everyone was moving in slooooow motion and it drove me crazy.

Over time, however, I’ve grown to appreciate the slower pace. It feels easy and calm. It has allowed me to build community in my neighborhood like I’ve never experienced before. When your cashier, wait staff, and people you run into regularly take the time to speak with you, you develop a powerful sense of belonging. Read more about the benefits of talking to strangers here.

Of course, when you travel south of the US, the pace is even slower. I went to my favorite coffee shop, Ganso y Castor, around the corner from my apartment in Medellín and it took me 20 minutes to get a latte to go. 

While I was waiting, I got to practice my Spanish with the people who worked there. 

I’ve learned to adjust my expectations of time to make space for these encounters.

Over the weekend we traveled about 2.5 hours outside of Medellín to visit the towns of Jérico and Cuaca Viejo. In Cuaca, we walked up hundreds of cobblestone steps to get to the view at the top of a hill. In 85 degree weather, mind you!

The folks that I’m with are mostly in their 20s and 30s. I got about a third of the way up and told our guide I couldn’t do it; I would wait for the group to come down. 

In retrospect, it wasn’t that I didn’t think that I could do it, it was just that my ego didn’t like that I couldn’t “keep up”.

“Tu puedes”, “you can”, she said. “Tranquilo”, take it slow. 

“Stop when you need to rest and drink water. I promise it will be worth it.”

I did, and it was. Was a beautiful lesson.