Hi Friends, 

This is your weekly edition of The Friday Five Hundred, which is a slice of my writerly life packaged in nuggets of Present, Past and Future in five hundred words or less.

Present: I’m sitting by the window enjoying the pitter patter of raindrops. Today, I finally saw a daylily that bloomed in my backyard. This year, it appears spring and summer have been a bit delayed. It seems nature takes her sweet time. Even then everything gets done. I’m pretty sure this is a famous quote. 

Past: Last Friday was my sister’s wedding. My husband and I slow danced for the first time in ten years of our married life. We’ve done a lot of things together and slow dancing was not one of them. I thought it was strange.  How did that happen? On top of that, both of us realized we were spinning too fast for a slow dance. All the other couples were in one place enjoying each other’s embrace and the intimate moment. At one point, Shakil and I agreed to slow it down because our heads began to spin. 

Later in the evening, I asked the Photographer to have a few pictures taken with my husband and kids. I had to use the perks of being the Bride’s sister. Just when we adjusted ourselves against the backdrop, the entrance song for our wedding started to play. I was shocked to hear it because the song is more than a decade old and the DJ was playing some modern remixed tunes up until this time. I believe in signs and that things happen for a reason. As the Photographer snapped our photo, it seemed as if Shakil and I were just walking down the aisle as a newly married couple and in an instant we had four kids. Where did the time go?

Future: I’m not sure where I learned this need to speed it up and go fast. It’s not doing me any favors. I’m a proponent of going slow and even then I find this version of myself, who wishes I could go a bit faster in anything I undertake. I’m revising the first draft of my memoir and I notice this voice judging me for my inability to go faster. What will happen when I don’t go slow? I’ll probably not slow dance and might have four more kids and wonder how did it all happen? That’s a stretch. :D There’s a reason why nature goes slow, why we slow dance, and why we make sure to be present when we have four kids. Too much sarcasm this week. 

Going fast robs us of enjoyment and it prevents the ripeness only slowness can generate. Going forward, I’d like to be at ease that I’m exactly where I need to be in my process. As long as I keep moving. Slowness also keeps one in touch with their intentions and it helps to be aware of which direction we are headed. 

That’s all I have for this week. The above was exactly five hundred words. I’ll leave you with my newly sprouted joyful daylily and the lovely quote that I channeled at the start of this email. Take good care of yourself and give yourself the gift of going slow. 

With lots of love, 

Sana Fayyaz