Halfway through the first month of the New Year, and I feel like I haven’t slowed down from the holiday mad dash. Still going at the speed I sprinted through the airport to make a tight connection hOMe the other day. No one can do it for me, right?

I always feel off balance when I go this long without blogging. So here’s a little something to make it up to you and beat the January blahs, both yours and mine: horses + snow. They never fail to make me smile, and get me to slow down.

I was stunned when we were in my former home NYC this last weekend, and I felt like I couldn’t keep up. Almost got eaten alive at the Union Square Whole Foods (a vicious place). So in fact, I have slowed down. I recently read this gem 16 Signs You’re a Little (or a Lot) Type A, and I completely identified with 15 out of 16 (I’m not proud). So have I slowed down…? What speed is optimal anyway? We can be invigorated by an adrenaline rush. We can also feel out of control from going too fast. I guess we need to know when to hit the gas pedal and when to hit the brakes.

Someone recently posted on Facebook that they are over the hashtag #yogaeverydamnday. She asked, What if you’re injured or don’t work as full-time yoga teachers or have kids and a husband who’s traveling for work and no help? And I agree. Even when I first fell for yoga, I didn’t do it every damn day. I believe in the concept of cross-training. So while yoga is a useful tool to help you slow down, it can’t be the only one in the toolbox. 

Where am I going with this? Back to horses + snow. Because I’m finding that visualization is what’s helping me slow down right about now. I’ve fallen in love with a book called Daily Calm – 365 Days of Serenity. Yes, it’s one of those overdone daily inspiration things, but – it’s by National Geographic! When I gave it to a few people for Christmas, husband looked at me quizzically. But here’s the thing: I keep picking it up. And I feel calmer after I do. 

My New Year’s lesson: we can’t slow time down, but we can change how quickly we move through it. Happy 2014. 

p.s. while you’re waiting for your Daily Calm book to arrive, have a look at this. I found it moments after writing this post.