I was talking to one of my favorite 7-year-olds at the cleanup, and she asked why the theme was 'slow down.' Instead of answering, I turned the question around and asked what she thought. Her response really stuck with me:

'Well, maybe it's because when you go fast, everything blurs into one thing… and because if you go too fast, you might get hurt. Also, when I fall, I might see a little piece of trash I can clean up, so maybe that’s not so bad.'

Such a simple thought made me think deeply. Of course, we know that to truly see the beautiful things around us, we need to slow down—whether it’s putting the phone down to really listen to the people in front of us or intentionally slowing our bodies or minds to notice. What has really been on my mind lately, though, is the importance of slowing down to notice the challenging things.

Sometimes, I rush through my days, purposely avoiding the difficult moments. It’s easier to keep moving than to sit with discomfort or face something hard. However, as my little friend pointed out, when we slow down enough to notice those difficult things, we often discover something important—someone or something that has been overlooked and needs care. The challenging things in life deserve our time and attention just as much, if not more, than the beautiful things we tend to notice.

So here’s my invitation to you: 'Tómate tu tiempo'—take your time. Notice the beauty AND the struggles. Pay attention to the parts of life that might feel uncomfortable to sit with because it’s in those moments that growth happens. Maybe, when we slow down and truly notice, we’ll begin to see what is AND what could be, recognizing just how connected we are to one another and the world we live in.

“Tómate tu tiempo. Nota el mundo que te Rodea. Nota la belleza en lo ordinario. Nota lo que puedes aprender en los desfaíos. Tómate tu tiempo”

“Take your time. Notice the world around you. Notice the beauty in the ordinary. Notice the learning in the challenges. Take your time”