LIFE IN THE FAST LANE

Have you ever wondered why we choose to make our life crazy and hectic? Why we try to plan so much in 24hours wishing that there could be more hours in the day. Do we ever make the time to reflect, enjoy the moment or do we find ourselves always on the go in a professional, physical and social level.
Personally, I know I do not reflect enough nor do I take the time to sit down and relax. I want to do everything, be involved and be everywhere. I do love being busy and active, it keeps me on my toes, mentally engaged and on top of things. However, I fully believe it is important to take a break, re-group and be refreshed when you return.
Yesterday I did the Juan de Fucia Trail. This is an absolutely beautiful trail, with breathtaking scenery, wild animals, and gorgeous weather. We wanted to only hike 19km out of the 47km, take it easy, enjoy it and explore the wildlife and environment around us. However as nature has it, the plan does not always go as planned. The drive from Victoria to Somborrio (our starting point) took longer than expected, and the drop off of two cars at the start/finish point added more time. We set off about an hour and half late, and it was a race against the clock because all of us had to catch the ferry back to Vancouver for work today. However, you always have to be prepared for the unexpected and anything can happen while hiking. We were extremely lucky that we got to see a hump back whale 10meters off the shoreline. We stayed 10 minutes watching in awe this amazing specie frolic in the water. Never in our wildest dreams did we think that we would be 50meters away from a black bear and have to re-evaluate which way we should go. Go back the way we came, find an alternate route up a creek bed or go in the direction the bear was going. All these factors came into play which determined when we finished our hike. I loved doing this hike, but it was a race against the clock. We were constantly checking our watches and kilometer signs to make sure were on track. We didn’t get to explore and take the time to observe everything we wanted. We were lucky to come across some spectacular wildlife but it would have been nice to take our time, relax and explore the trail.
To be honest, I am jealous of these wild creatures whose life is quite simple, who roam around the wilderness, looking for food and protecting themselves from predators. We choose to lead our crazy busy lives, lead a successful life, but do we take time to do/enjoy our extra curricular activities? Why do we push the limits to get as much in 24hours as possible?