Here are a few headlines that I read just today:

Samsung Galaxy Note9: A Flagship Phone for Busy Millennials

5 Hacks for Busy Entrepreneurs

Parents Are Too Busy To Potty Train

We live in a culture that worships the cult of busy. Somehow, we have been sold the idea that we will be better people, parents or employees if we can flaunt our busyness like a peacock during mating season.

But when you move fast, you miss a lot. We’ve known this was true since the moment it came out of Ferris Bueller’s mouth:

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Don’t Miss It

When you are busy, you are focusing on tomorrow. You are planning which box to check off next. You are driving to the practice, the game, the playoff. You’re thinking about what to do, what to buy, who to call, where to go, how to get there, who to go there with, how it will impact the next thing and the next thing and the next thing. And….

STOP

Busyness is the exact opposite of mindfulness. Rather than being present with the child who is directly in front of you wanting to tell you about the funny thing that happened today, you are thinking about how you are going to get this beautiful gift of a child into bed, into math, or into college.

You are trading in the precious moment of now for the demands of some future moment. And the moment vanishes like a shooting star. It was there…then it was gone.

Tomorrow isn’t promised to you. The only moment that matters is this one right here. Your husband wants to talk about his day…this day….the one you are currently in…not some item on your bottomless checklist of to-do’s.

Choosing Slow is Choosing More

When my daughter was little, it would take us 30 minutes to walk into a restaurant we enjoyed going to because she would look at every single rock in their landscaping. Every rock was special and she didn’t want to miss one of them.

Everything is brand new and exciting to kids. They crack open their minds and soak up everything.

Why do they do that?

Because when you choose to walk half as fast, you get to see twice as much.

More rocks.

More flowers.

More sunshine.

More neighbors.

More birds.

It’s the difference between the freeway and the country road. Yes, the freeway will get you from point A to point B, but you won’t see anything in-between but Cracker Barrel billboards.

That’s not living.

How to Slow Down

I encourage you to choose slowness whenever possible.

Take the long way to work.

Go inside the coffee shop rather than going to the drive thru.

Opt out of the corporate ladder and sit in the middle where the view is still good, but the pressure isn’t overwhelming.

Listen when your family wants to talk to you.

Notice how the sky isn’t always blue, but sometimes it’s hot pink or juicy orange.

Lay on the floor and listen to the peaceful sound of your dog breathing.

Slow

Everything

Down

Find things that you can do half as fast so that you can enjoy them twice as much.

They Grow Up So Fast

We are all familiar with parents saying that “they grow up so fast,” but it takes eighteen years for them to grow up. Maybe they don’t grow up fast, but we are moving too fast to notice them becoming adults.

Don’t pass up story time so you can log in a few more hours of work.

Don’t run through the drive through every night when you could cook a simple meal together.

Don’t trade the private moments at home for the over-scheduled activities.

Choose to be present.

Choose this moment right now.

Choose slow.

Photo by Til Jentzsch on Unsplash