Slow down

I've always been a fast paced person. I walk fast, I drive fast (Don't worry, not too fast), I talk fast, I like to multitask so I get more done. Point is, I always feel like I'm in a constant rush. I mentioned this in my past blog, but Ireland is all about leisure. Cork is like the polar opposite of who I am.

Cork does what it want's when it want's. It rains whenever it pleases, and doesn't really take into account convenience of it's inhabitants. Speaking of it's inhabitants, these people don't seem to care what other's think either. They wear what they want, walk as slowly as they want, and most importantly, it's never a race. And because of being here, i've slowly started to pick up the motto: Slow and steady wins the race. I'm too competitive to cross out being in a race completely. However, I have started to adopt the leisure that Irish people seem to have since being here.

After being in Cork for a while now, I can't help but ask myself why I am the way I am? Why are these people the way that they are? And honestly, it's because of how different our societies are. America is about making it, and competing against everyone. Sometimes I wonder if that's what life should really be? The Irish seem to live life differently but not in a lesser way. Maybe Ireland got it right.
Although I will never be able to truly change who I am, and I really don't want too. I'm glad for these couple of months. They give me a time to live and look at  life differently. If I tried to live this relaxed life in America, surely I would be judged. We see those who do things slower or don't seem as ambitious as lesser. And Cork has given me the chance to see how people live different lives. And no one is better than anyone else because they walk faster and get to where they need to be quicker. Irish people always get to where they need to be, but they do it without rushing and far less worrying.
Isn't that better though? As an American I feel like I could do with less stress. As I meet more people here and walk through these streets I find that stress isn't as much as a problem here. American could definitely learn from some things that Cork has taught me.
I hope that when I go back to America, I will be able to walk a bit slower. Maybe even try to stop viewing everything as a competition, which I know will be hard because I know it has been ingrained into me.
However, I think the time that I have been here will do me good, and just might be enough to truly help me change some aspects of my life. Even when I go back home.