What’s Your Hurry?

Happy June, My Friend!

“Bees’ll buzz, kids’ll blow dandelion fuzz, and I’ll be doing whatever snow does in summer.” So says Olaf, the snowman in the movie Frozen.

Ahhhhh, summer. Ain’t it grand? Seems like the perfect time to slow down a bit. Let me tell you about a place where “Go Slow” is the daily motto.

Several years ago, my niece got married in Belize. Specifically, she and her husband were married on a small island off the coast called Caye Caulker. They had spent a good bit of time there prior to getting married, and loved the community and its “go slow” lifestyle.

My sister and I went to the wedding and stayed at a lovely little hotel at the end of the main street. The street was lined with shops, restaurants, scuba, and snorkeling outfitters—everything a vacationer might need. (Oh, and a little “internet café” where I could jump online and see how my family was doing without me.)

Many of the locals urged us to “go slow” and we were quite happy to oblige. Once as we were walking along, we met a fellow vacationer, an elderly gentleman who inquired of my sister and me how far we were from the beach. As we answered him and started to walk away, he thanked us and bid us to “go slowly.” We were positively pleased as punch with his correct grammar!

So, why am I bringing this up? I’m glad you asked! Has anyone noticed that life seems to move at the speed of light these days? I mean, it feels like there is a high-speed treadmill running past my door, and as soon as I step out of my house, I’m immediately on the fast track to . . . to . . . where is it I’m going?? Wherever I’m going, it’s taking me there fast, and I just want to—go slower.

Maybe God thought it would be funny to give me a sore knee to start this plan, but for the last month or so, I’ve had to slow down because if I walk too fast, my knee hurts. Kevin and I take a walk every morning and listen; we move quickly! Ain’t no flies on us! We love that morning walk which takes about 48 minutes, just enough time to discuss what’s for dinner and then go on to solve the world’s problems.

Well, lately, I walk along much slower than Kevin. I keep telling him to go on, I’ll be along eventually, but I think he’s afraid I might have an I’ve-fallen-and-I-can’t-get-up moment, so he zigzags around me. But I’ve also discovered something.

It’s not so bad to slow down.

Summer seems like a good time to put the brakes on a bit, or at least not press so hard on the gas. (Crazy thing: I had the idea to write about this, and then my pastor talked about the same darn thing in church yesterday. Co-inkydink??) If we are not intentional about not racing through our days, we will race through our days. It seems to be the American way. We even seem to covet that lifestyle: the busier, the better! As I’ve ambled through our neighborhood of late, I’ve decided to try three things to help me slow down.

Slow my walking pace. Well, duh, that one was decided for me by my knee. But walking more slowly allows me to notice what’s around me. I’m not zooming past everything.
Take the long way home. With all due respect to Supertramp and the 1979 song, I’ve found it fun to take a more circuitous (gosh, I love that word) path home. If I’m out running errands, I’ve not been making a beeline home lately. It’s been fun driving through neighborhoods I usually don’t see. I’ve been driving past parks and playgrounds where I used to take my kids. I’ve been driving past houses where friends used to live or houses of my kids’ friends. It’s been fun taking trips down Memory Lane as I make my way home. Sometimes I’ll snap a photo with my phone and send it to my kids. “Remember this place?”
Meditate on good words. I’ve never been much of a meditator. I’m too distractable. I’m making a mental grocery list or planning my next project within minutes. But I’m trying to sit with some good words and memorize them. Currently, I’m trying to memorize Philippians 4:4-8. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Good words, right? My pastor suggested we memorize the 23^rd Psalm. Your good words might come from another source. Find some life-giving words to you and try to commit them to memory.

While traveling internationally, I’ve noticed that in other countries, when you are at a restaurant, you have to ask for the bill at the end of a meal. There was never a sense of urgency to finish up and scram! Kevin and I were recently at a restaurant we enjoy whenever we’re near the airport in Minneapolis. From when we were seated to when we were back in our hotel room, only about an hour had passed. Kevin, who is the king of efficiency and moves pretty darn fast himself, commented, “Is it possible for service to be too fast?” We had a drink, our salads, and our entrees within minutes, and the bill was presented as we took our last bites. They all but said, “Don’t let the door hit you in the @%$ on the way out!” Despite a delicious meal, we both had indigestion from our speed-eating experience that night.

My friend, I wish you a week free of dyspepsia due to hasty eating. Walk a little more slowly. Take the long way home. Think about some good words.

Go slow(ly)!

Written with love – – Patti XOXO