Thursday, March 19, 2015

Being Slug-ish

A week or two ago one of the blogs I regularly read did a monthly recap.  In the recap they had mentioned that they spent a couple days as "complete and utter slugs" while waiting out some bad weather.  According to their account they didn't do anything except read, work on their blog, snack and catch up on some TV shows.  Usually tossing out the term "slug" implies a negative connotation, that somehow they should have been doing something more with their time.  So, naturally (and with tongue-in-cheek), I had to respond.  I quipped something about the virtues of the slug lifestyle and that it must be OK because you never hear of slugs having heart attacks.

While my comment was intended with a hearty veil of humor, there was also a little bit of a lesson that life has been trying to teach me mixed in.  You see, my career in the software industry has always been fast paced and fairly stressful.  It was pretty rare when I would have the chance to unwind and it seems I had just about forgotten how to do that.  When I used to go on vacation, at best I may have just started to unwind a bit by the time the vacation was over.  And I'm pretty sure I am far from alone on this.  Otherwise this clip from CitySlickers might have been left on the cutting room floor...


For me, the worst part is the irony between what my industry was supposed to do and what it has actually done.  Remember how these "computing devices" I've worked on my whole life were supposed to make life easier?  It doesn't really seem they have done that, have they?  Sure, it makes some things easier.  You can make phone calls more easily, and check your email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pintrest, and other things at any time from virtually anywhere.  You now have the internet at your fingertips and can instantly find the answers to most of our questions. Yes, we have certainly made communications easier.  But making communication easier doesn't seem to have made life any easier...instead it seems to have made life more fast-paced and hectic. Now that you can receive calls and email from just about anywhere, your boss or your customers now expect instant answers at any time.  As a society, we seem to have lost patience.  And the stress from all of this seems to be killing us.

So, back to the idea of the slug.  I don't think there is anything wrong with being a slug, if that is what you want to call it.  A little slower paced, more deliberate lifestyle is something I think we all could use.  It is something I continue to struggle with but keep striving for in my own life.  My friends over at The Cynical Sailor & His Salty Sidekick just completed another post on "The Art of Being a Slug" and, while being another humor infused post, I think it does have some pretty good lessons to offer if you just think about it.  So I will ask you to go and embrace your inner slug...the life you save may be your own.

And I'll leave you with something appropriate from the Eagles...


Learn To Be Still by siouxnavajo

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the shout-out! As usual, some great thoughts from you on the importance of finding balance in life. Loving the new look of your blog!

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    1. Hey Guys, you are welcome. Figured you might like to hear a bit of the story behind my initial defense of the slug. I loved the last post on the art...some true sage wisdom there. :)

      Still trying to decide on the new look...will probably tweak it a bit going forward but I think it is better than the plain gray of the old site. Need a bit more testing on mobile devices.

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  2. Hello Mike,
    We love your blog, very insightful and funny, how could anyone argue with a position based on sound logical principles like yours? It seems that being sluggish (or is it slug-like?), should not be a bad thing after all. Just not all the time! Our boat card has a quote from Will Rogers, a fellow Oklahoman celebrity, that says "Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there!"
    We added a link to your blog on our home page, please keep up the great posts. We are on a Manta 38 catamaran, leaving for the Bahamas next week, for our first cruise!
    Chris and Joyce
    SV Saltrun
    www.saltrun.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks guys! I've been called logical before...but not sure the term "sound" has been included. ;-) Glad you like the posts.

      Leaving for the Bahamas next week...now I'm jealous. I'm hoping to leave Colorado in the next week or so and head back to the boat. Have fun and let us all know how it goes. I'm pretty sure I've checked out your blog from time to time, but will keep an eye out for your Bahamanian adventure.

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