Learning to Slow Down

by Beverly Smith

I’m in a hurry to get things done;
I rush and rush until life’s no fun.
All I’ve really got to do is live and die.
But I’m in a hurry and don’t know why.

I had the Alabama boxset. Big fan. The teenage version of me loved this song. I wanted to pick up the pace, shake hands with the clock and be on the roll ready to rock, whatever that means. Clearly, I missed the point.

Fast forward 20 years: add two kids, a big job, and modern technology that never really lets us turn-off. Now I get it.

When I had kids, the feeling of always being rushed was amplified. We’re in a hurry to eat breakfast to get to school on time, we’re in a hurry to get changed for swimming, and we’re in a hurry to brush our teeth for bed. Patience is lost on a toddler’s indecision between tennis shoes or boots, cereal or eggs. “We don’t have time for this,” we say.

(more…)