Savor the Moment
Sep 24, 2014
Have you ever been stuck behind an elderly person going for a "Sunday Stroll?" You know, you're driving, you've got somewhere to go, and Grandaddy Pappy is taking his sweet time, going 10 mph below the speed limit. Has this ever happened to you? Sure it has. And what do you do? You estimate that this Grandaddy Pappy is so slow because he is so old.
What if you're wrong? What if Grandaddy Pappy is indeed slow, but not because he is old. What if he is only slow because he has learned how to savor the moment? What if Grandaddy Pappy has lived long enough for wisdom to grow and he now knows how to take his time and live each moment by the moment?
Ok, I'll admit. It can be a little unnerving when we see a 90 year old person driving a car. After all, they look so old! But you know what? That 90 year old is still driving a car! They are still free. They are still living! I guarantee if you see an elderly driver, say in their 80s or 90s, that person probably knows something you don't: They know how to live in the moment.
They know how to work hard. They know how to have conversations. They know how to make eye contact. They know when to laugh, and they know when to offer a hand of comfort and remain silent. They also know how to "be."
We live in such an impatient, fast paced world, where most people have moved away from the things in life that really matter: communication, movement, laughter, friendships, family, joy, and rest. We rush from one place to the next, we point and click, we zap our food; we save so much time so we can hurry up and do NOTHING. We have gotten so good at rushing so we can be so good at nothing. We have become experts of nothing. We major in all the things that don't matter. As a result, we don't enjoy life, or the moments that it brings - because we can't.
We don't take our time. And, we don't know how to use our time. Instead of moving when we can, we find time wasters and we melt into chairs. Instead of having meaningful conversations, we check the "Like" box to acknowledge a "friend." Instead of going for a walk to clear our heads and maybe our hearts, we check out the news to learn the dread of the world.
We weren't meant for any of this. We were meant to live. To choose life. To move daily. To love our family and friends. We were meant to savor the moments that matter. Do you really want to know why the 90 year old driver drives so slow? It's because he has a secret: All moments matter. At least they should. Every moment counts because every moment is the moment that shapes us and grows us. Inside every moment there is the opportunity for life. To a 90 year old driver, to Grandaddy Pappy, the moments are precious. That is his secret.
We need to slow down. We need to breathe deeply and learn how to live in the moment(s). I promise, if you make it to 90, you will want to be the one in front slowing down all the drivers who desperately want to pass you.
Learn how to smile every day. Relearn how to laugh with your spouse, or with a friend. Take the time to remember how to breathe, and go for long walks. Look a friend in the eyes. Let them see the life that is in you.
Life is short. Why be in a hurry to speed through it only to be idle and waste away? We all need to learn how to get outside of time and live in the moment. You were created for time. Time was created for you. Grab it.
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