Slow Down

Tonight I had dinner with a really close friend and her mother.  Her mother is 89 years old and loves to go out to eat.  I helped Agnes, the mother, out of the car and into the restaurant while my friend, Coleen, parked the car.  We sat for a few minutes and chatted before Coleen got back.  After deciding what to eat, we order our food, ate a wonderful meal, had some great conversation and after contemplating dessert for a few minutes decide we were done.

Coleen went to get the car and I helped Agnes up and we started to walk out of the restaurant.  Agnes was having a lot of trouble with her legs and couldn’t lift them very high so we had to stop a couple of times.  It took a good seven minutes to get from our chairs out the door.  As I opened the door for us to get out, Agnes said to me “I am so sorry this is taking so long, I know you are in a hurry.”

I sort of stopped for a moment and looked at her.  I never said I was in a hurry nor did I do anything that would lead her to believe I was in a hurry.  It hit me kind of hard and made me think.  We are always in a hurry, whether we are walking, running, driving, flying.  It is always about how fast we can get there.  The same goes for the information age we are in.  We want it now.  Facebook rules are lives. Cell phones control our time.  We don’t send letters anymore.  Gyms have replaced the evening walk around the neighborhood. No one makes coffee anymore, we all go to Starbucks. 

The earth has moved into this fast paced, nonstop, give it to me now, I can wait for anything, what do you mean it will take that long world.  I think it is time to slow down.  We need to remember everything that God has given us and why he has put it there.  I don’t want to be too busy or moving too fast that I don’t see something important or a don’t listen to someone.  I want to be always in the moment.  I want to be there for people and for them to be there for me.

So I am going to take my time walking and enjoying life.  I am going to put my cell phone away, and I am going to just enjoy life!  Thank you Agnes for showing me the true way that life should be; enjoying the moment!