Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” - Lao Tau
Over the last 4 weeks, I have been staying in a city that knows how to slow down.  I was struck that no one seemed to be rushing about their day.  I saw zero road rage, did not witness any fighting or arguing and certainly no one upset with a store clerk or such.  I even got a parking ticket the first week, and went to city hall to pay it.  The attendant pulled up my parking photograph, and saw that I mis-understood which meter was directed to my car, explained how it worked, and pardoned the ticket, wishing me to have the best time for the remainder of my visit.  No muss, no fuss.
People walking their dogs at a leisurely pace and taking in all around them.  Parents walking their children to school, calm conversations and laughter.  The regular suburban streets have a 40K speed limit, and in school zones, 30K.  We even took a secondary highway that the speed was 50K, occasionally 60K, which dropped back to 40K as you drive into small villages.
Then there is the ocean.  Many people walking the beach, with no sense of urgency.  Occasionally picking up a rock or a stick to throw into the water, or playing catch with a pet.  Walking along with a beverage.    For us, we would get our beverage, and walk along the ocean, then sit at one of the numerous benches, sometimes conversing, and often just taking in the awe of nature.  Breathe, Breathe, Breathe.
No once did I have to dodge a person walking and texting as I often do in my city.  It seemed to me that there were just as many bikes on the road as vehicles, probably not quite, but the bike lanes were certainly utilized.
Perhaps it was my vacation mindset, but even in the grocery store that was full of patrons, I noticed a lack of rushing, no anxiousness of waiting to pay, no anger at the person in front that was taking a lot of time to find their change.  No pushing and shoving, no rolling eyes or impatiently tapping their feet at each other.
What I also noticed was that I was not the only person who was saying Good Morning to everyone I passed…it was quite noticeable.  As we walking along the Breakwater, many times we stopped or others stopped and we had real conversation….lovely day, where are you from, have you tried or experienced the ____ yet?  I felt like we were at an intimate gathering, where everyone was getting to know each other and helping each other.
We were house sitting for a relative who were vacationing in Japan.  They were telling us about the respect, and politeness of the people in every place they went.  They were also telling us about the subtle signage everywhere, reminding visitors that respect is highly valued, and suggesting that everyone be mindful of that.  Also the fact that is was the cleanest place they had ever been.  No garbage on the street, as citizens take their garbage with them to dispose of at home.
Today, back at home, I was doing a list of small tasks.  A load of laundry, refilling the shampoo bottles, making a couple of overdue phone calls, catching up on a few errands.  I was reminded, as I spoke of in my book, the book from years ago, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff”.  How do I ensure that I don’t get overwhelmed these days with tasks these days?  I set aside a few hours one day every couple of weeks, meant to get the small stuff out of the way.  I don’t worry about small tasks daily as I just put it on my list and commit to myself to get it all done on that morning/evening/what ever time you choose. 
In my past life, I would get overwhelmed, give up, and tell myself I deserve to sit and have a drink (which inevitably turned into a number of drinks, wasting yet another day).
Make note of what overwhelms you and sends you into a tizzy, and perhaps utilize my method to calm things down…..​