Today is a loaded day for me, so I want to keep it simple.

Yesterday, I had a lunch meeting in Chinatown.  It ran long (actually a good thing) and I was racing back to the office on foot.

When I arrived at South Station a man in dirty clothes and one foot (apparently permanently) turned in, called out to me.

“Hey, hey.”

I let out a rushed “hi,” and “good afternoon,” but didn’t actually stop.

“Wait,” he said.  “Wait!”

Now a good twelve feet away from him,  I stopped, turned, and gave him a look like, ‘what?’

Then he asked, “Why are you going so fast?”

I chuckled. “It’s pretty much how I move.”

“Don’t you know, you’re only supposed to do that when you have to?”

I smiled for real.  Told him he was smart.  Then he smiled for real, too.

I intentionally enjoyed the rest of my walk back to the office.

Anxiety tends to speed things up for me.  Sometimes, it’s helpful – makes me hyper productive.  Sometimes, it contributes to 15 days of flu.

My interpretation of being in “flow,” is knowing when I get to really turn it up and on, and when I get to rest, relax, and recharge.

Maybe that’s how we build strength and stamina to do the hard things that we’re here to do.