Billy the Kid
The Turning Feral Journal - Day 41
Day 41: Fast is slow is a phrase that’s been around for eons. I’m not sure where it originated but I always envision a young Billy-the-kid-type standing in front of an old cracked mirror slowly drawing his pistol from its holster over and over again until suddenly, he is the fastest gun-drawer in the world. That kind of consistency and meticulous practice can be absolutely draining, though. It takes a special person to block out all distractions in life and focus on one singular and slow task in order to eventually become the fastest at it.
Though admirable, the reality is most of us aren’t built like that. I know I am not. I have too much of a shiny object syndrome, a perpetual jack(ass) of all trades if you will. I tend to start something with gusto and deliberate practice, but lack the capacity of blocking out all other things to maintain that singular focus long enough to gain expert status.
It also turns out that I am not alone. Many of my friends and peers seem to suffer from the same ailment, and the symptoms seems to compound as we age… add kids to the mix, careers, mortgages, etc… With all of that added noise, how the heck are we supposed to find dedicated time to focus on new things? Let alone get good at them?
Well it ain't’ pretty, but I think for many of us the phrase should be changed to ‘slow is just slow,’ and we should come to terms with it being OK to go slow. Especially when we accumulate new interests as our lives change and evolve. I mean, what gets your goat now shouldn’t be the same as it was when you were 15, right? Didn’t the slow tortoise win the race against the hare in Aesop's fables? Didn’t Dory in Finding Nemo coin the term ‘just keep going’?
I know we all want to be experts so fast these days, but it is usually going to be a slow burn. Accepting this has been a tough pill to personally swallow, but it has allowed me to not be as harsh on myself when I look in the mirror. And though I may not become Billy-the-kid-proficient in a lot of my pursuits, as long as I am still slowly pushing then I am gaining something.
Daily Prompt: Where have you gotten off track on an interest you held? Did you start a fitness plan, diet, or even crocheting? Do you still practice? If not, what veered you off course? What can you do to pick it back up even if it is at a tortoise’ pace?:
Motivational Passage:
I am not the richest, smartest or most talented person in the world, but I succeed because I keep going and going and going.
-Sylvester Stallone
Rewilding Action: Tires. Tires, tires, tires. My wife and I have a weird thing with tires. We tend to put holes in them… often. We pick up everything from ancient nails, sharp rocks, kids toys and this last week? A screwdriver and a push pin… in two separate tires! Yes, you read that right… a fricken screwdriver.
With this kind of track record we have had to be proactive about roadside maintenance to change or limp the car many miles through the backcountry. The solution? You need a kit and higher ply tires (the latter of which is more expensive and I will go over another time). Our kit is pretty simple, we always keep a tire patch kit and a device to inflate tires in the car. For the longest time, I had a tire pump kit that attaches to the car battery which worked well, but for Christman my dad just bought me a Ryobi battery operated inflator which I am excited to try. These things can be a real lifesaver, especially when you are way out in the sticks! See the video below of me limping our side-by-side home after getting a flat tire while pulling traps last week.