The year is drawing to an end. Whilst I reflect on its highlights, it stands out to me how fast it has gone by. It seems like yesterday that 2012 began. Interestingly everyone that I’ve spoken to has had a similar experience. A friend of mine recently mused whether time’s quality has changed, the minutes and hours of our days now moving on swifter regardless of the clocks lack of indication. Is it possible for time to defy strict quantification? Perhaps. I presume it may be the pace at which we drive our lives that has made time a ride that moves on faster and faster. As we advance in to the twenty-first century, time proves (to me and my acquaintances) to become engulfed by a multitude of chores and responsibilities one must complete within the span of a day, barely leaving a few minutes crumbs at the end of a week.

The threat this fast pace of living poses to our health is not news. The importance of keeping a moderate pace however, without speeding or cramming more and more into a day, doesn’t seem to get enough priority in the media. Instead the other way around is encouraged, do more, faster, bigger, better, in less time. In my experience this approach takes a toll on health, and it isn’t a cheap one. Being caught up in a race against time, the days and months can go by at an alarming speed. The needs of our bodies, mind and souls more often that not get pushed aside, eventually an illness may bring this to a halt, and then there is no other option but to slow down.

To live a long and healthy life I believe it is crucial to put a stop to this time whirl. Stopping long enough to reassess priorities and plan how to create and maintain a healthy pace on a daily basis. Ayurveda teaches that true health is carefully cultivated in time, not bought with a super fruit or super drink. Just as good relationships are cultivated, health is a relationship that if given the proper attention it will grow day by day, with every food and lifestyle choice that we make. This takes time, not too much, not too little, just the right amount for your individual needs.

Here I sign off for the year from the lovely Ardennes in Belgium, wishing you very happy holidays and a great start to 2013