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The Slowest Race Ever: A Simple Way to Slow Down and Reset
Scroll down to download our newest free printable, The Slowest Race Ever, designed by Gardener Anna. š¢
Sometimes, moving forward starts with slowing down.
We spend so much of our time trying to get somewhere. Finish the assignment. Get out the door. Answer the email. Make the decision. Move on to whatever comes next.
But what happens when we stop trying to reach the finish line quite so quickly?
Sometimes a few intentional minutes can shift our energy, bring us back to whatās right in front of us, and remind us that moving forward doesnāt always have to mean moving faster.
That idea has been growing around here lately, thanks in part to two of our quieter gardeners, Shellie and Tortie.
Bringing Shellie + Tortie Forward
At our recent #PullYourWeedsĀ® school assemblies, Gardener Anna had a different view of You Are a GardenerĀ®.
As she listened to the book being read and watched the illustrations appear larger than life on the big screen, she found herself looking at some of our familiar characters a little differently.
This time, Shellie and Tortie stood out.
Seeing the two turtle gardeners up on the screen got Anna thinking about how we could bring these quieter characters forward and give them more opportunities to connect with our community.
Their slow and steady nature also sparked an idea.
That inspiration followed her home from the assemblies and eventually became The Slowest Race Ever, a new calming printable for kids built around one simple question:
What if the point of the race wasnāt to finish first?
Six Stops. No Need to Rush.
Instead of racing from START to FINISH, Shellie and Tortie invite us to stop six times along the way.
We set an intention. Take three slow breaths. Notice what we can see, hear, smell, and feel. Think of a flower. Choose a kind action. And identify a few quiet gardening tools that can bring us some calm.
Nothing needs to be rushed, and there is no right way to finish.
The printable may have been designed with young gardeners in mind, but something interesting happened when Anna finished creating it.
Gardener Anna sat down and did it herself.
And somewhere between START and FINISH, she realized that slowing down to work through each prompt was actually helping her feel calmer, more focused, and present.
When We Use the Tools We Share
There is something different about creating a gardening tool and then actually taking the time to use it ourselves.
As Anna worked her way through each stop, the prompts gave her a reason to pause and think about what she needed in that moment. The same activity she had designed for younger gardeners worked for her at 17, too.
It was a simple reminder of something we believe strongly around here:
Gardening tools grow with us.
Taking three intentional breaths isn't only useful when we're little. Neither is noticing our surroundings, thinking about something we're grateful for, choosing kindness, setting an intention, or recognizing what might bring us some calm.
A young gardener can do it. A teenager can do it. A grown gardener can do it.
The answers will change. The way we use the tools may change. But we never outgrow the opportunity to slow down and check in with ourselves.
Try the Slowest Race Your Way
There are lots of ways to use this one.
Bring it into the classroom for a quiet reset. Leave copies in a calming space. Try it after school or before homework. Complete it together as a family. Keep one nearby for a day when your thoughts feel scattered.
Teens and grown gardeners can approach it their own way, too. Write instead of draw. Spend longer at one stop. Come back to it later. Or simply use the prompts as a guide for a few quiet minutes.
There is no need to complete the whole thing at once.
After all, this is The Slowest Race Ever.
Ready to give it a try?
Download The Slowest Race EverĀ and see what happens when you give yourself a few minutes to slow down, check in, and move through each stop at your own pace.
For gardeners of all ages and stages.
Why Slowing Down Can Be a Gardening Tool
Slowing down doesn't have to mean stopping everything.
Sometimes it's simply giving ourselves enough space to notice what's happening before moving on to the next thing.
A few intentional minutes can:
Bring us into the presentĀ by focusing our attention on what is right in front of us.
Give scattered energy somewhere to settleĀ by focusing on one small prompt at a time.
Reconnect us with gratitudeĀ by asking us to notice a flower in our day.
Create space for kindnessĀ by turning a positive thought into an action.
Remind us what works for usĀ by identifying gardening tools we can reach for when we need them.
Give us a small resetĀ without needing to have everything figured out first.
And perhaps most importantly, slowing down can remind us that we are still moving forward.
Slow and Steady Still Gets Us Somewhere
What started with Gardener Anna seeing Shellie and Tortie a little differently at an assembly grew into a new gardening tool. And when Anna used that tool herself, it became a reminder that what we share with our younger gardeners can be just as meaningful for the rest of us.
Slowing down doesn't mean we aren't moving forward.
Sometimes we take a breath. Sometimes we notice what's around us. Sometimes we choose a little kindness or figure out what might bring us some calm.
And then we keep going.
It may look like a race, but there's no need to rush to the finish line.
Download The Slowest Race EverĀ and take it at your own pace.Ā š¢
Meet Shellie + Tortie in You Are a GardenerĀ®Ā š¢
Shellie and Tortie are just two of the gardeners growing inside the pages of You Are a GardenerĀ®. Follow along as our characters explore flowers, weeds, gardening tools, and the small shifts that can plant positive seeds along the way.
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