Hurried

By Mary

I was listening to a song on a Christian radio station here, one that plays a lot, about the pressure of fast paced life, trying to squeeze as much as you can out of the day, always feeling behind. And I thought (with maybe a teensy bit of smugness) how happy I am that I don't live life like that, that I don't need the reminder found in that song to slow down, just breathe.

I do think my mom taught me to value a less hectic schedule than is average nowadays, at least in America. It seems like most think the more activities are packed into your week, the better you're doing, the more successful, impactful and accomplished you are. And maybe that last one is true, maybe I don't accomplish as much as many people. But it's just as important to evaluate what exactly you're accomplishing, and what that accomplishment is worth. It's easy to do things, or at least it's generally pretty straightforward. But people, relationships...they're more complicated. And not so easy to cross off your to-do list with that sense of success.

It was while I was thinking about these things that I realized that, while I may not keep a full-to-bursting structured schedule, I have my moments every day where I still get caught up in the rush and the drive to accomplish and do more. So often I forget to slow down a minute and look in my child's eye while they talk to me, instead of listening half turned away while I multi-task. Or I let the thoughts run rampant through my head while my husband is telling me about his day-my mental list of the things I still have to do, trying to formulate my opinion on a current event, or composing my response to something a friend wrote-instead of reigning them all in and being in the moment of here and now. There are so few times that I really can't spare a few extra seconds to make someone know they are valued and to enjoy these moments of life that are so quickly gone.

So I guess its good for me to hear the reminder too, as I learn daily to live less hurried, to savor the moment that is all we ever have-and to spend the moments wisely, on things that will last.