Let the Noodles Be Long: A Lesson in Not Rushing Life

I was cooking pasta the other night, nothing fancy, just water, heat, and time.

As I dropped the noodles into the pot, I noticed myself doing something different than I used to.

I didn’t snap them in half.I didn’t rush them under the water. I just let them soften, bend, and slowly sink on their own.

And somewhere between stirring and waiting, it hit me.

I rushed through so much of my life when I was younger.

I rushed conversations. I rushed decisions. I rushed relationships, healing, learning, becoming.

I was always trying to get to the next part—as if life were a checklist instead of an experience.

The Shortcut Illusion

When we’re young, we’re taught, subtly and not so subtly, that faster is better.

Grow up quickly. Figure it out. Move on. Hustle. Skip steps. Don’t feel too much. Don’t slow down.

 So we snap the noodles in half.

We cut moments short because sitting with them feels uncomfortable or inefficient. We rush through seasons because we think the next one will finally feel like “arrival.” We skim instead of savor.

But shortcuts don’t actually save time. They steal presence.

What I Missed While Rushing

Looking back, it’s not the big milestones I regret missing. It’s the quiet in-between moments.

The conversations that could have gone deeper if I’d stayed a little longer. The lessons that needed time to land.The joy that required slowness to be noticed.

Like pasta, life needs heat and patience.

Some things can’t be forced. Some things need time to soften.

Letting Life Unfold

Now, I let the noodles bend when they’re ready.

I don’t push them. I don’t break them. I trust the process.

And that’s how I try to live now.

I stay in conversations longer. I let emotions finish what they start. I don’t rush healing, clarity, or becoming.

I’m learning that enjoyment doesn’t come from speed; it comes from attention.

From letting moments be long.

An Invitation

If you find yourself rushing through meals, through conversations, through life, maybe this is your reminder.

You don’t need to snap this season in half. You don’t need to hurry the softening. You don’t need to be anywhere other than where you are.

Let the noodles be long. Let the moment take its time. Let yourself actually be here for it.

Because the richness?The flavor?

That only comes when you let things fully cook.

And life, like pasta, is better when you don’t rush the boil.

XXOO,

Leigh