by Annette Bridges. © 2008. All rights reserved.
Day after day — for months now actually — I get out of bed and begin the new day and before I know it, the day has flown by me and I’m trying to figure out where it went. And again and again, at the end of the day, I’m feeling like I’ll never catch up.
I’ve made myself feel better with the “there’s always tomorrow” speech. But lately I’m finding no solace in those words. I refuse to concede that there may never be enough time to do all that I want to do with my life. But I’m tired of life moving too fast, and I want it to slow down.
Once again, I’ve been clipping along so fast each day that finding time for God — for prayer and meditation — is something that never gets enough attention. And somehow I know that if my day could include more God-time, my day would be much better.
It has occurred to me that perhaps it’s not life that is moving too fast but rather it is me that is moving too fast through every moment of my life. And if I’m the one doing the driving, then I’m the one who can get out of the fast lane and change to the slower lane on the right-hand side of the road.
“Slowing down” reminds me of a favorite song from my youth. I believe its title was “The 59th Street Bridge Song” written by Paul Simon. As I write, I find myself singing its lyrics:
“Slow down, you move too fast. You got to make the morning last. Just kickin’ down the cobblestones. Lookin’ for fun, and feelin’ groovy.”
Feeling groovy? Those words certainly don’t describe how I’ve been feeling lately. I would surely love to make my mornings last. Yes, I definitely need to stop moving so fast.
Then I continue to sing.
“Got no deeds to do. No promises to keep. I’m dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep. Let the mornin’ time drop all its petals on me. Life, I love you, all is groovy.”
Life — I love you? I haven’t said that in a long time.
I’m not sure I know what it means to have the morning time drop all its petals on me. But somehow I like the way that sounds, and I want to find out — especially if finding out will mean everything will be “groovy” in my life!
But it’s 8:45 in the evening. My morning and day have disappeared yet again. And I still have not taken my daily walk. One of my goals has been to walk a mile each day, but way too many days have gone by without my walk. I almost thought, “Another day is done. It’s too late.”
But then . . . “It’s not dark yet.” And I bounded out of my house and began my walk.
Suddenly it didn’t matter whether or not I walked a mile. So what if I didn’t have much time or even enough time to get my mile in before dark. I could still walk!
It’s not so hot in Texas right before dark. There was a nice little breeze blowing my hair out of my eyes. The colors of the sunset were barely glimmering in the horizon. The trees surrounding me were becoming dark images. It was like everything was changing from a color photo to black and white. Quite an incredible transformation I must say! And in those few peaceful moments, any anxieties I had been feeling were replaced with the calming knowledge of God’s ever presence.
I sing, “Ba, da, da, da, da, da, da, feelin’ groovy.”
And I was feeling groovy!
My lesson? Relish every moment of the day. Every minute is important and there to be experienced. If I didn’t outline so much, it would never be too late. I make way too many rules for my day.
Let’s enjoy every moment, my friends. May we all slow down and be more reflective of God in our life throughout our day. And then I suspect we’ll find all will be groovy!