The Birth of the Chronicles

Take Your Time: The Power of Slowing Down

"Take your time" – we hear this so rarely nowadays. Other words like stress resistance, fast pace, and efficiency dominate in the modern world. But do they actually make us more efficient?

I am writing this while sitting on a toilet, pooping for the first time after giving birth approximately 1.5 days ago. I was told that it could take up to 6 days to start pooping again, so I was prepared to wait.

But the magical words, "Take your time," can be a game changer. Our Kraamzorg (a professional who supports new mothers in the Netherlands) told me these just before I came to the restroom. In the other room, she is helping us take care of our baby, who is due to feed in 4 minutes.

So, in those 4 minutes, I am finally starting my first chronicles — something I’ve intended to begin in the past 15 or more years.

The three simple words "Take your time" seem to be much more "efficient" than years of planning, to-do lists, or other charts. Because creativity takes time. And so does pooping sometimes. At least for me.

I have had issues with pooping for as long as I can remember, and I wasn’t even aware of it until a friend opened my eyes, broadening my perspective. A few years later, my husband helped cement my habit of pooping regularly. Who knew this would be so handy for both my childbirth experience and the birth of this blog?