Normally, I wake up about 45-50 minutes before I have to leave for work. This leaves me enough time for a shower, a 3-pass shave, breakfast, and a moment of quiet with my dog before crating her and getting out the door.
This morning, I woke up with less than 30 minutes before I had to be out the door - not good... Normally, I'd scream through my shower, throw a quick 2-pass shave down, and then run out the door. Not today, I decided. I took relatively quick shower- using Crabtree and Evelyn's Sandalwood shower gel as shampoo and body wash helps speed things up. Hopping out, I dried off, turned on some music (Slowdive's Souvlaki) and loaded my Badger and Blade Essentials brush with Tabac soap and face-lathered. The reason I went Tabac today was simple: I can still take my time, and it lathers up rapidly. I don't need to worry about water amounts or taking care at ALL - the stuff is way easy. Sure, I'm not psyched with the scent, but it goes away after rinsing, so whatever (for a suitable alternative in terms of speed, I also love the Speick shave stick). 3 quick passes with the fatboy on 3 and I was done. Rinsed, threw on some Proraso splash and balm, deoderized (Arm and Hammer has a great natural deodorant I highly recommend), and was fully dressed with 5 minutes to spare.
What the hell kind of good breakfast can I eat in 5 minutes, you ask? Well, if you're like me, you might have some Morningstar soy sausage patties in your freezer (yes, non-vegetarians, they're really good - I'm an avowed carnivore and I still love Morningstar's entire lineup - except for the maple sausage, which is kinda weird). I pulled two out and nuked them for 40 seconds, threw some cheese on one and piled them, nuked for a few more seconds, and then off to work!
The lesson, I suppose, is simple: if you're running late, stressing out and screaming around your house as fast as lightning might save you a few minutes (tops), but you're going to arrive at your destination frazzled and completely unready to face your day. Take your time - even if you have to shortcut some things, do so at a pace which keeps you calm. Start your day in a manner in which you want the rest of your day to go.
The great and holy Ferris Beuller (blessed be his name) once said "life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it" - this quote has served me well so far.
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2 comments:
Reminds me of something from the Hagakure:
"There is something to be learned from a rainstorm. When meeting with a sudden shower, you try not to get wet and run quickly along the road. But doing such things as passing under the eaves of houses, you still get wet. When you are resolved from the beginning, you will not be perplexed, though you still get the same soaking. This understanding extends to everything"
I like that a lot - and I TRY to live my life like that, as well. It's amazing just how much more you can appreciate life if, even when you're late, you take your time.
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