The Train Can Wait

The story that made me rethink how fast I move through life

Photo by Chris Yang on Unsplash

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
— Lao Tzu

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When I lived in Paris with my family, I had this wonderful French tutor. She was this effortlessly elegant young woman named Isabelle, who used to come by my apartment twice a week in the 16th.

Isabelle had an autistic son and a daughter. I remember her kitchen — all sleek stainless steel, back in the early 2000s before it was trendy. She got $200 haircuts but never flaunted it. Just that kind of quietly stylish person.She once lived in Scotland and said she gained 20 pounds from the cold,depressing weather. But as soon as she moved back to Paris, the weight dropped off.

Since I already knew the basics of French — the school stuff — I picked things up pretty quickly. Most of our sessions were just casual conversation. Real-world stuff. Little stories sprinkled in. One of them stayed with me.

Isabelle told me about this time she was running to catch the RER — a regional train that connects Paris to its suburbs. The train was about to leave, and she made a dash for it — tried to jump on at the last second.

She slipped. Hit her head hard.

Ended up in the hospital.

It took her six months to recover.

And the way she told it — so casually, like it wasn’t a big deal — truly made me stop. Because I do the exact same thing. I rush. All the time.

Always trying to squeeze one more thing in. I never want to waste a minute. Even waiting at the doctor’s office, I’m on Medium, reading or drafting something new.My default mode is go go go.

Her story? It still echoes in my head.

One missed train isn’t the end of the world.

But one fall? That can be.

What’s something you rushed through that you wish you hadn’t?

A version of this story originally appeared on Medium.