Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

Lately, I've been thinking about time.

I'm not sure if it's because both of my daughters recently graduated or because another birthday is around the corner. But the question keeps coming up...

Am I running out of time?

There is so much I want to share. So much I want to create. So much I want to experience. Conversations I want to have. Sometimes it feels as though I'm racing against an invisible clock.

And maybe because of that, I've started rushing through life.

I'm often thinking about what's next instead of what's here.

Sometimes I'm dreading something that's coming.

Sometimes I'm saying, "I can't wait until..."

Either way, I'm missing the only moment I actually have.

The other day, I was carrying far too much to my car.

I was convinced I could make it in one trip. I would save time that way. I was balancing my purse, tote bag, UPS returns, and my water bottle. Everything was piled in my arms as I hurried to the garage.

Then it happened.

Things started slipping.

I reached for one item and another fell.

Before I knew it, I missed the last garage step and found myself in a heap on the ground while my beautiful new aluminum water bottle rolled underneath my daughter's car.

It had a deep dent in the side.

As I sat there gathering everything back together, I couldn't help but laugh.

I was trying so hard to save a few seconds...

...and instead, I spent several minutes picking everything up, crawling under the car, and making sure nothing else was broken.

The irony wasn't lost on me.

Normally, I probably would have replaced the bottle.

But this time, I'm keeping it.

Every time I see that dent, it reminds me of something I don't want to forget.

Slow down.

Because rushing rarely saves time.

More often, it creates more work.

More importantly, it causes us to miss things.

I missed the last step in my garage.

But how many sunsets have I rushed past because I was already thinking about tomorrow?

How many conversations have I only half-heard because my mind was somewhere else?

How many ordinary moments have I hurried through, waiting for the next chapter to begin?

Life isn't waiting somewhere ahead.

It's happening here.

In the conversation with a friend.

In the walk around town.

In the deep breath while waiting in traffic.

Maybe we're not running out of time as much as we're running past it.

I carry my dented water bottle with me everywhere now.

It's no longer perfect.

But neither am I.

And perhaps that's exactly why I need it.

It's a little reminder that when I start rushing through life...

I need to slow down and look around.

Because this moment might be the one I don't want to miss.