Slowing Down

 

 

"A person who is looking for something doesn't travel very fast." 

                                                                                   -E. B. White 

 

It's an old adage you have probably heard hundreds, if not thousands, of times: "You've got to take time to stop and smell the roses".  Basically, in a rush, rush, rush world (to co-opt a line from The Twilight Zone episode "A Stop at Willoughby"), it helps to take time out from your journey to contemplate the place where you are at the present. You can potentially miss out on some inspiring moments if you are only focused on the goal you are trying to attain.

This entry was inspired by a daily readings from one of my books designed for meditation. The last line of the entry said:

"Often it is not the events in our lives that bring change but the space between events." 

                                                                    -from Touchstones by Hazelden Meditations 

 

How often have I had that goal take precedence over everything else, and neglected to see what was right around me? Something happened to me after I turned about 50, though. I started to stop and not be in such a rush to get where I was going, giving me the opportunity to see things I may not have ever noticed if I had still been entirely focused on the goal I was trying to reach. 

To wit: I often take advantage of the options on my GPS when I go somewhere new. I enter "avoid highways" into the parameters, which often takes me down back country roads, as opposed to the Interstate. Sure, it takes a bit longer to get where I am going, but I have always had a habit of leaving early anyway, so I am never in any rush to get to where I am going.

The adventure comes when I see things that I would never have seen if I stayed on the Interstate. In my article from last year on this site Cultivating Patience, I talked about using that GPS to map out a trip back to Texas from Kansas. In that article I talked  about how that event in my life helped me in my quest for patience.

But there was an added bonus to the trip. Traveling down back roads I saw quite a number of unique sites. including more than one barn with some rather interesting designs. Also I got to see more than enough of the state's flower, the sunflower, in patches. The whole trip had a calming effect on me. 

So, in essence, if you take time to "stop and smell the roses" there are benefits to taking time out to see what is around you. The beauty of the world can be both nature made and man made. All it takes is an open mind to appreciate what is not necessarily "hidden", but essentially missable if one is too focused on the immediate goal.

Make your spiritual journey be fruitful.

Quiggy 

Character Driven

 

 

 

 

 "With the story of your life, you don't get to write the whole book, just your character."

                                                                                                                      -Olivia Munn

 

Been a month since I came into this room, so an update is probably required.

In addition to the cancer that inspired this blog in the first place, I am having some health issues, probably associated with my advancing years. I was in the hospital earlier this month, and diagnosed with hypokalemia, which means I have a severe deficiency in potassium (or at least a problem retaining it in my system). As such, fatigue and other symptoms made some things difficult, one of them finding the wherewithal to keep this journal active. Hopefully I am on a path to recovery in that area...

 

So, in the vein of what I can do to advance the character of this novel that someone or something is writing (call it God, or whatever you want), I am not writing the plot line. (I would have given myself a different life, I am sure.) Whatever God sees fit to put me through in this life is designed to make me fit more in tune with His will. 

My input, of course, in the scheme of things, is my reaction to the outward stimuli that He puts in my path. God gave each and every person the attribute of "free will". Think back to the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God told them "there's a tree over there, but don't touch it or eat it's fruit." And then He let them decide for themselves whether to obey.

God could have easily put up some kind of force field around the tree, or outfitted Adam and Eve with some kind of celestial shock collar that would zap them if they got to close to the tree, but he gave them the opportunity to make the choice for themselves. This, to me, defines the essence of the character in the story that is my life. I have choices, and those choices drive the story in the direction that results. See, in this idea, I have some input into the plot, but God still retains the privilege of writing the overall story. 

Getting back to my health issue. There are resources out there to help me navigate the "low potassium" difficulties I am currently experiencing. In that respect, I made my first choice by ordering a couple of books on how to gain a high potassium lifestyle  for seniors. The next choice, probably the more difficult one, considering my history of procrastination, is to implement what those books tell me to do. That is the essence of using my choices in developing the character in God's grand novel of my life.

May your spiritual life be fruitful.

Quiggy