Pace

Life is change. No matter how organized a person is, life will see to it that patterns, schedules and deadlines are altered. This is inevitable. It needn't be disruptive to daily practice.

Maintaining my pace is essentail to maintaining my practice. In other words, I must determine the pace at which I attend to life's demands. This begins with a humble admission that I am human and limited by space, time and personal energy.

Rushing around and trying to juggle too many tasks in the name of efficiency is counterproductive. Multitasking looks impressive and seems to make sense, but an honest assessment of the quality of the products of multitasking will tell a different tale. Quality of work or play demands concentration and commitment to practice.

Discovering my own pace came after years of fumbling in the dark. Years of doing too much in too little time made for a fascinating resume, but it did not make me happy. When I was forced to look at my life by dangerous life events, I saw a picture I needed to change.

Discovering my pace came with discovering my path. When I realized that my path consisted of moving toward peace and the promotion of human happiness by the application of my skills and values in daily life, my pace slowed and became more easily maintained. Knowing, the the deepest sense, that I am mortal compelled me to value every day of my life. Using those days at a pace which will achieve peace and harmony within me and in my environment has become my daily practice. There is no need to rush or to do anything half-heartedly. It is the quality of my life that matters, not the quantity of my superficial accomplishments.