Ramen Soup Time!

This week I wanted to talk two great things. Ramen & pacing. Ramen, the Japanese soup that is! (or is it Chinese - there seems to be some debate here according to the internet) And YOUR pacing - the speed at which you move.

Take a look at this gorge soup! From Ramen Isshin. With locations in Quebec & Ontario. I like their red miso soups the best.

RAMEN 🍜

Have you ever been to a Ramen restaurant? If so you'll know that they have a particular vibe.

In the last few years, a few of them have popped up around here. Each of them are tiny, tightly packed, fun, and hectic. The staff yell out a Japanese greeting, “Irasshaimase” every time new customers arrive, then yell out thanks and goodbye every time customers leave. None of them take reservations - you just have to show up and hope for a table.

Not long ago, I was in a ramen mood. So I headed over to my fave ramen spot in the Glebe. It was a super duper busy night there but was very lucky to have scored a table smack in the middle of the buzz.

So there I was, sitting down and surrounded by the buzz. People. Crowded. Laughing. Slurping. Like being immersed in a spicy, flavourful soup of an environment!

PACING 🏃🏽‍♀️

We’d arrived fairly close to close and was feeling rushed to look through the menu and make a choice. And the spicy environment was making it harder to focus.

Then, bless her heart, this outstanding human being comes along to take our order. She must have tuned into my distress … and so wisely and calmly looked right at me and said, “take your time.”

Wow.

Her words had an immediate calming effect on me. As if she’d pulled out a magic wand and drawn a circle around herself and our table. Shifting the laws of time - as if to say, no matter what the speed and pace out there - in this circle we will move according to your timing Dodie. Genius.

TAKE YOUR TIME ⏰

Now that is a support worth pausing and paying attention to. This idea that YOU have your own timing. A pace of moving that makes sense for you and your needs, at any given time.

And that your sense for pace, may be different from those around you and the environment you’re in.

And you get to choose the pace that makes sense for you. The pace that helps you focus. Get your work done. The pace that helps you feel yourself. The pace that helps you feel a sense of belonging in the space around you.

TAKE YOUR TIME …

AT YOUR DESK 💻

Do you know how it is that stress and a deadline can have you working at a furious pace? When I check-in, and take my time I realize it. Saying something like … I don’t need to move fast to get this job done. And I’ll slow the pace of my fingers typing. Slow down my breath. Then, almost always realizing that slowing down actually supports me to be MORE efficient and creative.

IN THE CAR 🚖

Have you ever had the experience when driving and someone annoyingly gets right up on your back bumper? As if to pressure you to drive faster. For me, I can really feel the stress when that happens. And I’ve come to realize that part of my stress is from racial trauma arising from the cultural story that Asians are bad drivers. This is a time when it’s really helped me to take my time. Cause LOTS is happening for me in these moments - and I need to be performing competently and safely.​

WITH CLIENTS (or others) 👩🏽‍🤝‍👨🏿👬

I often modulate pace as a family mediator. It’s a stressful thing to have your marriage breakdown, and have to negotiate big-ticket items that are framing your family’s future. And sure, I got lots of fancy dancy training in law and mediation. But so often what my clients need isn’t about the stuff - what they need most is time. To slow the pace down so that they can listen to options, take in and understand information, feel in for the choice that feels right for them. And without me changing a single thing - but for timing - and allowing clients to move at their pace - we’re able to move things forward.

So here’s my offering … take YOUR time.

Before you engage in a task or activity. Take time to consider what pacing would feel most supportive to you. Slow, medium, fast? Slow with bursts of faster? Medium with moments of slow pauses? Your timing belongs to you.

Or. If you find yourself in any kind of stress or discomfort, you can say to yourself, “take your time.” And see if modulating your pace might be of support to you. Particularly if the environment has a hectic pace, this might be a useful practice to remember.

Hi, I’m Dodie Sobretodo. I’m a mother, a Filipino, coach and family mediator. As a coach I help people who want to get tasks done AND are committed to their own support and self care in doing that. As a family mediator I create a supportive environment to help separating couples reach a sturdy and reliable separation agreement.

​This blog was originally shared as an email. My letters go out on a Friday afternoon and I like to think of my emais as a supportive gem that gets delivered right to the convenience of your desk just as you’re feeling that Friday afternoon fun vibe. Always the focus is squarely on helping you get things done in ways that are supportive to you and your self care. If you would like to recieve a supportive gem in your inbox, much like this post, I welcome your to subsribe by clicking the link below.