Sunday, November 23, 2014

Hurry Up and Slow Down!

I personally fight the myth that being busy is the key to a successful life. I have grown up around a culture that clearly states that only those that are driven, that know how to plan, execute and make it happen will survive in today’s world. Yet, as I get older and am around more seniors and kids I realize that this is one of the biggest lies in life. Yes, I can brag about multi-tasking, yet what suffers from this are my relationships with those that matter the most in my life, my family and close friends.

There are no short cuts to forming quality relationships! It takes time no matter how you slice or dice it. I can’t become a good friend with someone until I have invested real time, not texting, nor Facebook or even LinkedIn. So this last week I had fun picking up all of the painting supplies from the various grandma and grandpa’s homes that we had painted a week ago. What struck me shouldn’t be a surprise, is that everyone obviously was thrilled to have a face lift on their house but what mattered the most was the 30 people who had painted their houses had taken the time to come and make a difference. I was blessed and reminded that I have to slow down and actually listen to gain a person’s trust and confidence.

This last week I was invited to a small graduation ceremony that again reminded me of the importance over time of being a real friend to those that God has placed on my path. The fruit of these types of relationships is that you end up being invited to family dinners or special occasions that few others can attend. We walked away from a special dinner for this older teen’s graduation party that made us feel rather special and appreciated. Yet, this wouldn’t have happened if I had chosen to rush around over the years and not gotten to know this teen’s mom and dad.

We walk our dogs pretty much every day both in the early morning and later in the evening after our day is done. My wife is a stickler for always looking up and seeing the incredible sunrise, sunset, moon or stars while we are walking with our herd of dogs. It is so easy to miss out even when something is literally in front of your face. I love the sense of togetherness and family that come out of routines like this. It would be so easy to allow the commotion of the day to rob us of these special quiet times.

I confess that I do prefer getting my work done in an organized fashion that doesn’t waste time. It’s so true that as my mom would remind me that anything worth doing is worth doing well! Her point would be that rushing to finish anything ultimately means that you won’t do your best. My Anne can be so crazy at times. This last week it was obvious that one of our large carpets that is in our family room area reeked of doggy mess. She’s so good about going the extra mile to make things right. After shampooing it multiple times she came to the conclusion that it needed to be hauled outside and literally sprayed off with the hose after being saturated with special pet product.

The byproduct of her choice not to rush and say something is good when it’s not is that the obvious odor, not perfume, is gone! The choice we all have to make everyday is whether we are going to rush off from that potential friendship or take an extra few minutes to listen and not talk? The real tension is whether I’m willing to invest the time to see that I do my best all of the time and not just enough to check this task off my list?


I so much applaud C.S. Lewis, one of my favorite authors, for his willingness to be honest about his own life in saying, “I don’t believe that good work is ever done in a hurry.”

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