The art of slow living- Creating An “E” Ticket Life
Do you remember when Disneyland had tickets for rides? Not all day passes like today, but tickets with Letters A-E; denominations for varying levels of ride excitement.
Riding on the Carousel for an “A” ticket was lower than say, riding the Submarine Voyage (one of my favorites!).
An “E” ticket ride meant it was a really, super, amazingly, awesome ride.
Too often we let life relegate us to the lower class rides. The ones we get a bit queasy on, like bill paying or an unpaid furlough. A broken relationship or disappointment in circumstance.
Going nowhere in a hurry, when we have big plans.
We sometimes feel like our ticket book has only “A” tickets left, and we face the unending circular motion of the Carousel.
Why is slow living important?
What a drag. Unless…we remember something important. When we were kids, we loved going in circles. We knew that fun was to be had in the routine, simple, monotony of a pattern.
When we are on that ride, going round and round, it can feel pretty fun if we let it.
If life was all like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, we’d be bruised and confused. Fast and jerky movements, being thrown around the car, and things coming at you constantly aren’t exactly conducive to a peaceful existence.
While fun in the moment, that kind of excitement isn’t sustainable.
Or, perhaps, even desirable.
“…to be slow means that you govern the rhythms of your life. You are in control of deciding how fast you have to go.”- Carlo Petrini
I want to see life a little more like a child would.
That thrill of anticipation, the nervous energy of takeoff, and the delight with the circles we ride.
Slow living means we look for joy in small things
An “E” ticket kind of life is what we are after. It includes all rides; exciting, thrilling, and yes, even monotonous.
For the greatest joys are to be had in living fully. Experiencing the whole gamut of ups and downs. Dips and turns. We want it all.
Those boring rides? Throw your head back in the wind and smile for the lack of speed and excitement.
 Look for the moments of wonder in the slow lane.Â
“Slow living is a curious mix of being prepared and being prepared to let go. Caring more and caring less. Saying yes and saying no. Being present and walking away. Doing the important things and forgetting those that aren’t.” – Brooke McAlary, SLOW
They are there for us to notice, waving gently, inviting us to look closer.
And then, when the next wave of speed comes, the next ride of thrilling proportions, we’ll be ready. Rested. Peaceful.
And we’ll laugh with excitement, appreciating it all the more due to the slower ride we just got off of.
Maybe an “E” ticket life is all these things together. An amazing ride.
Slow living resources you might enjoy:
- This is Home: The Art of Simple Living
- Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives  SO good
- Destination Simple: Everyday Rituals for a Slower Life
- Seeking Slow: Reclaim Moments of Calm in Your Day
- The Simple Living Guide: A Sourcebook for Less Stressful, More Joyful Living
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What a wonderful and wise outlook for life, Chista!
Geat photos, no doubt yours, and words that turn into pictures in front of your eyes!
Such a lovely and wise woman you are, one I am proud to call friend
Blessings and light, always!
As someone who absolutely loves Disneyland, it was easy to make the connection between the types of rides and what you were saying about life. Trying to create an ‘E’ Ticket kind of life sounds interesting. Having those periods of slow and easy makes those pockets of exciting seem just a tad more fun. 🙂
I’ve never been to Disneyland, but this is such an interesting idea. I think the appeal of an “E ticket” life is the freedom factor–you don’t feel limited to only certain adventures/experience that you think are the only ones appropriate for your life, but your free to do anything.
I always wondered why do we often forget or neglect our inner child. When we are young all we seem to get are “E tickets”, the older we get, the rarer they are. Maybe we should try harder and be open to always experience something new and exciting, as well as take the calm and peaceful in stride instead of always being on the look out for the next glum thing that will bring us down.
I am totally loving your additional points of view! These are deep thoughts to add and I appreciate you sharing, they really ALL add to the conversation. Yes, Katina those are my precious peeps