"Everywhere
people are in a hurry. Jet-powered aircraft speed their precious human
cargo across broad continents and vast oceans so that business meetings
might be attended, obligations met, vacations enjoyed, or families
visited. Roadways everywhere—including freeways, thruways, and
motorways—carry millions of automobiles, occupied by more millions of
people, in a seemingly endless stream and for a multitude of reasons as
we rush about the business of each day.
"In this fast-paced life, do we ever pause for moments of meditation—even thoughts of timeless truths? When
compared to eternal verities, most of the questions and concerns of
daily living are really rather trivial. What should we have for dinner?
What color should we paint the living room? Should we sign Johnny up for
soccer? These questions and countless others like them lose their
significance when times of crisis arise, when loved ones are hurt or
injured, when sickness enters the house of good health, when life’s
candle dims and darkness threatens. Our thoughts become focused, and we
are easily able to determine what is really important and what is merely
trivial." ~President Thomas S. Monson
One summer, when I was about 12 and my sister was about 6, my mom signed us up for swim lessons. We got up early each morning and walked to the other side of town where the pool was. On most of our walks, to and from the pool, my sister lagged behind and I frequently told her to HURRY UP.
On school mornings it seems the kids don't move fast enough. While tying her shoes, Morgan will stop and tell me a story about something that happened the day before. Or she will stop eating her breakfast to write on her reading log. I constantly tell her to HURRY UP before the bus comes.
My goal in shopping is to get in, get what I need, and get out. The children often want to stop and look at things. (Especially if there is a toy section in the store.) I usually keep walking and yell over my shoulder, HURRY UP.
These thoughts and many others came to mind as I listened to President Monson's talk in conference. Why am I always in a hurry? Will I really find JOY in the journey of life if I am always in a hurry? What if I slowed down and took time to savor the moments, especially the time I have with family and friends.
In my conference notes for this talk I wrote, "What if we all lived today like it was our last day on earth? What would I do differently?" Our time here is so short and we don't know when it will end. Instead of hurrying to do all the things that don't really matter, how would my life be different if I spent more time with those things, and people, who really do matter? If we take the time to slow down we will find JOY in the journey.
1 comment:
I have thought about that so many times before and have tried to make the conscious effort to slow myself down and omit the phrase "hurry up". Although it seems to work it's way back into my vocabulary after not very long. Thanks for another reminder....I will try again. We do need to savor all those moments with our kids, listen to what they have to say and take a look around once in a while. Now lets hope I can do this without being late to work :-)
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