Hello. We’re heading into May, and I am on the brink of finalizing some projects. But I am so slow, my friends. So, so slow.

I snapped this photo of my kindred spirit, and I watched it take its sweet old time for several minutes. “What’s the rush, love?” It seemed to telepathically mind meld with me. What’s the rush, indeed? One of the benefits of getting older is realizing that so few things are urgent and important.

There’s that quote I see on mugs and tea towels and cafe walls: nature does not hurry yet everything is accomplished. Well-played, Lao Tzu (assuming the attribution is correct). Cal Newport’s latest book, Slow Productivity, also emphasizes going at a “natural pace” to get more meaningful things done without burnout. Big, big fan of Cal.

My natural pace is ultra molasses-esque these days, and I’m okay with that. Somehow deadlines are met, meals are cooked and consumed, the needs of my resident overlord (aka my pet cat) are tended to. I suspect, however, that these blog updates may continue to be sporadic as I complete my next two books — more on those in the near future. For my projects, I have to keep mum forever. If I let it, it can be quite maddening. But again, what’s the rush? 

This isn’t really related, but one of K’s dorm friends signs off the evening with “Great night, honey.” I think that’s so much more charming than your standard “good night.” Maybe I’ll adopt “Great day, honey” in lieu of “hello.” What do you think? Too saccharine? Too weird? Or perhaps it works better as an alternative to goodbye.

Either way, let me start with you: Great day, honey.