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“We’re going to walk together, really slowly. Because when you go slow, you see more. When you go fast, you miss things.” Recently I went on a Biofluorescent Walk here on the Isle of Mull. Never been on one before…didn’t even really know what it was. But the announcement about it and the images looked pretty amazing (living organisms that absorb high energy light and re-emit it in amazing ways), so i figured I’d give it a go. Turns out it was utterly fascinating…helped immensely by our incredibly enthusiastic and energetic guide (from Reveal Nature). I’ve never seen someone get so excited about different colours, slugs, wood lice, and these miniature turquoise worms (and i mean MINIature) you could hardly see with the naked eye. I learned a lot. About the difference between Biofluorescence (where the organisms essentially reflect the light) and Bioluminescence (where they generate the light from within themselves). About different kinds of lichen (i liked the ones that looked like dragon-scaly skin). How the moss reflects red because of all the water (and you could literally see the lines of red moving down the tree, showing the path of the dripping water). And how in our guide’s opinion, the Isle of Mull is one of the best places in the UK (he said probably the world, actually) to experience biofluorescence, because of its temperate rainforest and its utterly fantastic air quality. I ended up talking with the guide for a while about a jellyfish that produces a protein which glows, and can be used to help monitor cancer cells. And how the people who discovered it won the Nobel Prize (and nearly 20% of nobel prizes won since then are based on this discovery). It’s a lot to absorb on a Friday night. But it didn’t feel like a lot: it was a slow, pleasant amble through the woods, holding a UV torch, chatting amiably with my fellow walkers and the guide, hearing people exclaim things like “Ooooh, look at this slug!” and “Yellow! I found yellow lichen!” and “It looks like a rainbow!” My favourite was when the guide reminded us at the beginning to go slow. Because that allows you to truly see what’s there. (The guide is literally writing a book called “Invisible World” which makes perfect sense.) And if you rush, and hurry, and dash along in the darkness with no UV light and no guide, all you’re going to see is darkness. Nothing here, you think. Not really worth spending any time. And (of course, because this is Creative Headspace and because I’m a business owner and that’s how my mind works) i’m thinking I do this in my business too. Everything is SO FAST. I feel like an old person saying that (“these young whippersnappers with their tiktokkery and snapchattiness!”), but seriously…AI has taken what was already going at a breakneck pace and flung us into another dimension. And everyone seems to be loving it…. …except I know some of us are already exhausted even before AI rushed onto the scene. (*raises hand*) Which is a big part of why I moved to this island. Even though I’m still running a (fast paced) marketing agency which uses and relies on AI and teaches it to our clients, I wanted to live in a place where I am continually reminded – and directed – to slow down. Not just things like Biofluorescence Walks, but the slow and patient sheep who cross the road in front of me as I’m driving. The people I run into when I pop to the shops, who of course I stand and chat to for ages. The glow of the setting sun which reminds me to take a minute and just watch it, instead of rushing to the next thing. How might I do that in my business, too? What can I pause and look at, think on, wonder about? Which team member can I give a little extra attention to, and notice what they’re learning or doing? What client can I take extra time with – just to chat, and know them better as a human? Because if you’re always rushing, you miss things. Here’s to slowing down so you can see what’s been a little invisible to you, lately. Love to hear what you discover. |
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