Stop Hurrying and Worrying

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“I didn’t see one tree hurrying or worrying.” – Melody Beattie

I came to a full stop when I read the quote for this post. It was in a meditation book I’ve been reading in the mornings. Journey to the Heart: Daily Reflections by Melody Beattie. She was talking about visiting the redwoods in Northern California. Trees that have stood for hundreds of years growing steadily and weathering whatever came. “I didn’t see one tree hurrying or worrying.”

First, the beauty of one person being able to write something so powerful that it touches another. Isn’t that incredible we can do that?

Second, because I’ve felt unmoored in the last few weeks. The end of the school year came with so many opportunities to volunteer, amazing teachers to recognize, and fun to plan. Then we traveled to San Francisco for a family party. Upon our return, I landed in a week where the kids had vast amounts of free time and I struggled to get much done.

Too much fun, really. But I still felt like a boat without its keel in, being blown about by this and that without much ability to set my own direction.

And all that fun brought me to the third thing. I once heard an interview with Dr. Scott Peck  – I think it was with Oprah. He said something like, “People ask how I get so much done. I reply that I’m able to because I spend two hours a day doing nothing. I used to call it my thinking time but then people felt free to interrupt. So I changed to call it my praying time and it made all the difference.”

Nature knows that we don’t need to hurry, scurry, and worry. Thanks to that one line written by a wise observer, I remember now too.

Have you read or written one line that has brought you to a full stop lately?

(featured photo from Pexels)

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram @wynneleon

I host the How to Share podcast, a podcast about working better together – in our families, friendships, at work and in the world.

I also co-host the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast, an author, creator and storytelling podcast with the amazing Vicki Atkinson.

65 thoughts on “Stop Hurrying and Worrying”

  1. You know what, Wynne, I just did. Your line “Have you read or written one line recently that has brought you to a full stop lately?” did exactly that for me! Now I’ll spend time thinking about exactly that. 😊

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  2. It’s because nature doesn’t have to pay taxes every year, that’s why it’s so relaxed lol. Just kidding. Loved the post and I think it really doesn’t matter whether we hurry, scurry or worry because at the end of the day things will unfold as they’re meant to. It’s best to trust our fate and go with it instead of making things more difficult.

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  3. Sounds like fun. Love the Dr. Peck quote. I am a natural-born sloth so doing things at my own pace comes naturally to me. Now of course I’ll be slowly contemplating if I’ve written one line recently that stopped me with its meaningfulness.

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  4. Amen Wynne!

    “Be still, and know I am God” … Psalm. 46:10 … the daily pause at the beginning of each day that resets my schedule and restores my soul.

    Be blessed and . . .

    Keep Looking Up ^ …His Best is Yet to Come!

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  6. What an inspiring post Wynne. I do sometimes feel blown about, if my thinking and writing time is interrupted. There are some days like that yes. I’m going to use your point 3. 🤣 Thank you for this. Hoping you get some time to yourself within the summer fun.

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  7. This reminded me of a day just a few years ago when I was zipping around doing a variety of things, when for a reason I cannot remember, i stopped, a light came on and I asked myself what am I doing? I just stood there for minute trying to reason why I’m following an agenda to spend my days busy and finish with a multitude of accomplishments. Now I try to have a do nothing day and time every day doing nothing no matter how much I know I could be doing. Thank you for this thoughtful post.

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  8. I like the Scott Peck quote – might have to utilize it. I’ve been calling it ‘quiet time’ but ‘prayer time’ sounds more ‘important’. I’m unsure if I agree with using Melody Beattie’s quote for all of us. It’s certainly a great reminder to slow down if we’re going at an unhealthy pace. Trees and turtles and sloths appear to have a much slower life. I think of hummingbirds and how fast they are and why they have to be so fast to survive. I believe there is a perfect frequency/vibration/movement meant specifically for me. It’s somewhere between stressed and unstressed, worried and unworried, hurried and unhurried. Moving too fast or slow makes me feel unwell. I love it when I can find that balance. Thank you, Wynne, I love that you gave some interesting things to think about. 💞

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    1. Oh, I love your observation that we have our own speeds and vibrations. I agree. I tend to be on the faster side – but for me there’s a difference between efficient and hurried. If I’m hurried, I tend not to enjoy life so much. Here’s to balance, Rose!

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  10. Such a profound quote Wynne. We can learn so much from nature and from trees that lived before us and will live on beyond us. I agree that part of getting things done is to stop and recharge by doing nothing. Good luck with your reentry!

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  11. That’s a beautiful quote. We are going to a wedding in Northern California in a redwood forest. It’s the second wedding this summer in the same venue. I missed the first one due to surgery. I will keep in mind the quote you shared.

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  12. I love this, Wynne! Lately, I feel it’s the opposite for me. I have been spending more time enjoying life than doing the things I probably should be doing. I am like the quote about the trees, “I didn’t see one tree hurrying or worrying.” Although things need to be done, I don’t feel an urgency to do them. And the weirdest part is, I’m not even behind. Everything is getting done on time. Yet, part of me feels like I should be more productive. It’s the strangest battle between living a carefree life and being ultra productive. Some days, I never know which will win.😩

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    1. What an insightful comment, Shaun. Resisting the pull that is still present – even when you are getting things done. You are right – it’s a strange battle. Here’s to finding the most grace-filled and bountiful way through!

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  13. very impactful quotes. and I was very taken by: il bel far niente. the beauty of doing nothing. sometimes read as, the art of doing nothing. I love both translations.

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  14. Wonderful quote Wynne.
    I have been feeling unmoored too 🙄 must be the water.
    All jokes aside, life is so fast paced and I have to say, noisy.
    Unless we are catching a flight, why the rush ?
    Have a good week.

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  15. Why is it so hard for us to just be, Wynne? I think a lot of it comes down to personality. I find it difficult to sit still. My husband is the opposite. The quote is a good reminder to slow down, breathe, and let things unfold as they will.

    As for something I read that made me stop, it was a quote in the late Pope Francis’s biography “Hope”. He said “We need a vaccine for the heart.”

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  16. Oh….those redwoods. They deliver, don’t they? Powerful messages and doses of insight. Love it. I just had a conversation with a dear one about the importance of taking breaks but she doesn’t call them that anymore. Her kids love it when she gives herself a ‘time out’. Maybe the secret to summer sanity? xo! 😜

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  20. This photo could have been taken just about anywhere in our county. I am reminded not to take redwoods for granted when visitors come and are awestruck by them. Though I have very little to base this opinion on, I suspect that Americans hurry and scurry far more than people from other countries. We all need to slow down and take a breath.

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  21. Your situation sounds challenging, Wynne. I’m glad you found something that touched you and helped to change your perspective for a time. Be well.

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  22. Wynne, I read that opening quote and said out loud, “Whoa!” I’m not joking! First, you know I love redwoods, and then those words! Oh, the lessons Nature teaches us! Not to mention, that photo is stunning! I have a million pics of redwoods. They’re in the same category with the Golden Gate Bridge in that I can’t have too many photos! I hope you find some balance and time just for you. Hugs ❤️🌻

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    1. I thought of you when I wrote this, Lauren! You get to see those redwoods often so you KNOW they aren’t hurrying or worrying! 🙂 You are so right- of the lessons Nature teaches us!

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  24. What an awesome line- and so true! I also like the line about doing nothing so you can do something. My version of that is that I usually “play” first so I can be in a better mood to work after. As far as homework-I argued my case all through school but it took a few years and some proof before my parents agreed to let me do it my way😁

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  26. I like the quote from Dr. Scott Peck when he says he can do a lot of things because he spends two hours a day doing nothing. He used to call it his thinking time then he changed it into his praying time. I would call it creative time, precious time when you can organize your days and find solutions to your issues.

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  29. I used to be scolded by the leader of my church group for reading too slowly. She zipped through a book a day and expected all us moms to keep pace with her, to read the books she wanted us to read. I read much more slowly, savoring and chewing on each nugget to fully assimilate it into my heart, instead of just intellectually seeing it. She tried forcing me to read faster, and just couldn’t understand why I’d linger so long on a single thought. I told her I needed time to allow it to percolate deeper into me, so I could implement the wisdom I was reading. That approach seemed so foreign to her, and I couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t want to savor the words!

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      1. I found it quite unsettling to not be accepted by her, but she later admitted that I reminded her of her mother, and she had unresolved issues with her that she was taking out on me. Sadly. I’m just glad she’s not in my life anymore.

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