“Being in a hurry. Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me. I cannot think of a single advantage I’ve ever gained from being in a hurry. But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing....Through all that haste I thought I was making up time. It turns out I was throwing it away.”
I made a wrong turn and sighed. My jaw stiffened. I was already running a few minutes late, this wasn’t the day for detours. As I looked for a place to turn around I saw her. She wore a yellow beanie and a crimson red skirt and was literally twirling along the sidewalk as she walked. Her red skirt floated with the graceful momentum.
She sure wasn’t in a hurry.
At the sound of our car approaching, I assumed she’d snap back to an adult self-consciousness. But as we passed her she proved unconcerned and actually began skipping. Her child-like joy could not be quenched.
Delighted by her delight, I kept spying on her in the rear view mirror. She wasn’t listening to music and while I admit I suspected it at first, it was clear she wasn’t high on a substance. But she was certainly high...high above the grey sighing clouds above.
Her journey was light. Her burden was easy.
Then I remembered.
In Christ, so was mine...
Yea, I was running a little late - (shrug). Under my heavy sigh, I guess I was concerned what others might think if I was tardy. But I couldn’t change being late and I couldn’t change how others might react to that...I could, however change my perspective.
So I followed the lady in the yellow hat’s lead and began to delight in the journey. I regained God-consciousness. And I began to notice His creation - all the vibrant colors around me...the fiery orange-pink trees, the yellow leaves carpeting the road, and the grass that appeared even greener in the muted morning light. I sighed again...this time, releasing angst to inhale peace. This was a sigh of thanksgiving...a blissful sigh to delight in all that God has given.
And all this beauty?
Well, I almost missed it.
* * *
Take a moment to pause and learn the lesson from the lady in the yellow hat...
- Describe what might be under the small sighs that weigh down your perspective today.
- What can you be grateful for and enjoy, even now...right where you are at today?
Enjoy the journey,
p.s. (Photo Credit: Stanley Zimney, "Leaves in Bokeh" at Flickr, http://bit.ly/1AEkoul. Used with permission. Text and layer added.)