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“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”
Lately I have become aware of how busy my life is. I work, go to school, volunteer and lead children’s ministry at my church in addition to all the other general adult responsibilities that must be done. I have family, friends and church to stay connected with. As a result, most of my life is spent moving at a crazy fast speed from one meeting or project or person to the next. Don’t get me wrong, all of these things are good ways to spend time. And I’m not a big fan of laziness. I believe in being productive. However, I have begun to feel like I have lost sense of what is important.
I recently found myself sitting on a park bench with my guy. We had no time restraints; just sitting, talking and enjoying each other and our surroundings. We saw a small frog hopping along the sidewalk in front of us. We sat there and watched and laughed as it hopped by. Later we were serenaded by the croaks of one of his friends. As the sky grew darker, we were entertained by a light show put on by the lightening bugs. Every since that night I have become aware of all of the things that I miss as a result of being so busy. It has become clear that my calendar is ruling my life instead of the other way around. My life isn’t so busy because it has to be. Instead, it is a choice that I made to try to avoid feeling alone and to keep from having to face my painful emotions at times.
So, since that night I have been making some changes. One is walking slower. Previously, walking was only a means to get somewhere. Looking straight ahead and walking as quickly as possible to where I needed to be. I have begun to realize that the journey should be savored just as much as reaching the destination. Another change has been not scheduling things – especially people – back to back. This has meant that I cannot necessarily connect with as many people as I would like to in a week. However, it does mean that I can give them my complete devotion and time when I do. They don’t have to feel like they are on a timer when they are with me. I think shows more respect and care to others, too.
I am sure these are just the beginning of the changes that I will be making, which is a bit scary for me. But, I am learning to enjoy my journey.
photo credit: roberthuffstutter via photopin – cc