Saviour of the Human Pace

In my frantic world of work, where the insatiable email monster whips up expectations of responses to everything at the speed of light or faster, it's so easy to find yourself disconnected from the natural human pace and rhythm.  A bit like city kids having no concept of the real night sky. So, how do you recalibrate your system back to human pace without crashing and needing a talking-therapy reboot?  

I offer two foolproof options.  First, try repeating the mantra of that well know philosopher and all round deep thinker, King Louie, in the Jungle Book film - 'Cool it, boy. Unwind yourself.'  Alternatively, spend a week or more on a small Hebridean island.

The one I've just been to does nicely.  No terrestrial telly signal, a mobile that wouldn't work, one loop of single track twisty road where no-one can really top 20mph.  Even the ubiquitous Caledonian MacBrayne ferries don't visit every day. Then from that imposed slow baseline, go out all day, every day and get some proper awful weather catapulted into your face by a deepening Atlantic depression. By, it works a treat - as you can tell by this chipper CalMac ferry deck hand.

So for the next few posts I'll up-sticks from my usual NE England base to Colonsay. The glamorous end (choughs, corncrakes, otters and stuff like that) can wait. This was one of our most intriguing finds.

More next time.....