Hurry Up and Slow Down

I saw a meme yesterday that said:

“The 4th of July is over,
It’s time to decorate for Fall,
Buy your Christmas gifts,
And by the way, Happy New Year!”

There’s so much truth in that, isn’t there? We rush from one thing to another, barely stopping to breathe or take in the beauty around us.

The day after the 4th, I started to see ads for Fall decorations and crafts. We are constantly urged to move faster and do more. Heaven forbid, we actually stop and rest.

It’s not only holidays, of course, but everything seems to make us want to push the fast-forward button. We don’t just raise kids, we volunteer, teach Sunday school, we work an outside job, meal plan, clean, nurture special-needs kids, … the list goes on and on. No wonder we don’t live in the moment. The moment is so filled up that there’s no room to rest in it.

America has become famous for its fast pace. I have a friend from another country who always says, “You Americans don’t know how to slow down and enjoy the moment.” I was mad until I saw the truth in her statement. We do run fast here. We live like we’re entering a freeway. We know that if we don’t hit the gas quickly, we will somehow be left behind.

It feels foreign to slow down. A friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer when we were in our 30’s. She knew she was a type A personality and she was extremely driven. She decided that her personality traits contributed to her cancer diagnosis and that she needed to rest more. I had to smile when she told me that she had made a list of ways to slow down and she was committed to doing a number of those things every day. She had somehow managed to make slowing down a fast-paced, stressful job. Living in the moment was not something she could even comprehend.

We look around us and see how fast everyone else is going and we feel like we need to keep up. How many things have we accomplished in a day compared to Susie who lives next door? If our numbers are smaller, we feel guilty. We have failed. Somewhere along the line, we have stopped valuing the slow times. We do give it lip service, “I’m glad you rested,” or “Good job, taking a day off,” but does anyone really cheer (and mean it) when we say that we sat and did nothing but read a book? After a quiet day, we usually try to make up for it by doing more the next day.
All this was brought home to me recently. My four-year-old granddaughter was visiting, and we were heading out to pick berries in the cool of the evening. As we walked, a tiny white butterfly flew above her head. She immediately stopped, handed me her bucket, and raised her arms in the air. She ran with the butterfly and laughed with glee. Her laugh was a tinkling sound of pure joy and she danced with the butterfly in the dusk. I stopped picking and just watched, taking in the perfect picture in front of me.

When do we lose the easy ability to live in the moment? When do we stop immersing ourselves in the joys of the right now? And how can we regain that ability?

I catch myself writing grocery lists while I’m watching a show with my husband. I tend to run to the next task before the previous one is even completed. Slowing down just seems so foreign and even wrong. God said,

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34

Does all this running around honor God? Does He require it of us? Or would He rather we slowed down and took in all the beauty and blessings He has provided for us?

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

I’m not going to pretend it will be easy to slow down. There are a lot of old habits that need to be broken. Maybe if we start small it will help. We could stop and take a breath every time we think of it. We could look around and take in some of God’s beauty. Any little thing will be a step in the right direction.

A few minutes of “living in the moment” will renew us in amazing ways. Who knows, maybe you too will find a butterfly to dance with.