Stealing Father Time’s Running Shoes

“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” – Winnie the Pooh

And Winnie always said he was a bear of very little brains. Ha.

This morning, my server was having an identity crisis. For a while there I thought it was in the market for a new career. Fortunately, it finally remembered itself, allowing me to get back to business.  However, for a couple of hours, I practically stared at my to do list, have tempted to scratch out “To Do” and write “Can’t Do” in its place.

I figured that I could sit and fume or get off my derriere and do something productive.  I did some laundry, brewed a pot of green tea, read from a new library book, and did 20 minutes of yoga.  The kind of morning I once took for granted. In the span of two hours (8:00 am – 10:00 am), I gained a little insight about time and maybe even life.  On a typical morning, these two hours are spent updating my food blog, sorting through e-mail accounts, updating my cat blog, moderating comments, and getting posts going on my self help blog and office supply blog.  Normally, these two hours fly by so fast you can almost hear the swoooosh.

By contrast, the clock almost seemed to be going backwards this morning.  At one point (ten minutes into yoga), I looked at the clock and even told my cat Alexa, “I think time’s literally standing still.” (She always pulls up a front row seat for the yoga show – wouldn’t miss it for all the salmon in the world.)

When I sat back down at my desk, I discovered that my server had regained its composure. I had a funny feeling inside that I couldn’t identify. Was it disappointment? Was it relief?   I decided that it was a mixture of the two and Alexa and I got down to business.

In one of those great twists of irony, I opened one of my notebooks of quotations (yes, this super geek collects quotes in notebooks) to choose a quote for Self Help Daily’s quote of the day. The first quote to jump off the page was the one I posted at the top of the page.

The analogy between my two morning hours and the countless hours of our lives is a striking one.  When I “busy away” my morning hours, they disappear in a blur.  Two hours feel like ten minutes.  On the other hand, a leisurely morning made two hours seemingly stretch.  Make no mistake about it, I’m not suggesting that you quit your job or drop out of school!  Nor am I suggesting that those of you who (like me) work from home start riding the couch and eating bon bons.

I’m just saying this: Time is a precious gift – one of the gifts we most take for granted. Some people get so busy trying to “get ahead” that they don’t take the time to enjoy the scenery along the way. Please don’t let that happen to you.  You don’t have to be in GO mode all day and night.  It may sound cheesy but pause and slow down a little each day or a little each evening.

If we don’t slow down enough to appreciate our lives, they’ll fly by so fast that you’ll almost be able to hear the swoooosh.

More Inspirational Quotes about Life