SLOW DOWN! So many times we want to scream this to the top of our lungs…as life speeds by quicker than we can comprehend. When we see our children growing up or experience so many “firsts” or celebrate special occasions…we want to be able to slow time down. We want to savor the moments that we treasure so much. But no matter how loud we scream, time keeps moving…and we can grow weary trying to capture what has already passed.
Recently, I was a part of a training that discussed differences among cultures. A big difference for so many that come to America is our fixation on time. We schedule ourselves to death…almost literally. We value promptness…getting upset with those that don’t. We don’t want wasted moments in life…so we have big, fancy planners to remind us to keep up and do more. We are fascinated with how much we can fit into a day and disappointed when we can only squeeze 24 hours out of most days. Some try to figure out how to sleep less so they can do more. For those that work too much, they seek more time so they can also see their families.
Time is something we can’t buy, though. We don’t get the option to purchase an hour or barter for an extra 15 minutes…can you imagine the national deficit if we could?!?! We only get so much time and often, that is way shorter than we planned. So what do we do? We have money to make and goals to accomplish and children to raise and ladders to climb. We don’t have time…
I am as guilty as anyone else. On my wrist is an intent bracelet. There is printed on it this word…REST. Yes, I require this word to be on my wrist to remind me that rest is important. I am horrible about taking the time to rest and this is my little reminder of the value and the need to simply rest. In some ways, I am almost disappointed I have to be reminded. But in other ways, I am grateful I see the value of rest and treasure it enough to figure out little ways to remind me.
Since we can’t buy time, borrow time, or trade for it…maybe we stop counting it. Stop worrying about how old we are and how much time we supposedly have left. Stop focusing on what we haven’t done and is still to accomplish. What if time doesn’t matter? What if we simply enjoy the gift of each moment? What if we stop to see the beauty in this life we have been given? What if we take a moment to just breathe? It isn’t a waste. Maybe we even change our rhythm…count treasured moments rather than hours passed…count experiences rather than dollars…count relationships rather than transactions…count gifts rather than accumulation. Maybe today is the day to stop counting and start…living. And maybe today, we rest.
SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY 