It’s a brand new day. How will you choose to spend it?
We all are familiar with this drill: A small child rides in the backseat of the car and his constant chatter is a distraction—and sometimes an irritation—to the driver. Again and again, he asks, “Are we there yet?” Eager to arrive at the destination, he wants the car to move faster. He is beyond impatient.
In our day-to-day activities we are often like that child, scurrying at lightning speed from one task to another, devoid of the simple pleasure of life’s journey and the landscape that forms our days here on earth. Time passes in a blur, and when we do take a moment to grab a breath, we wonder just how the hours turned into weeks, months, years and even (yikes) decades.
I challenge you to add a goal for today: slow down. Step out of the fast lane long enough to enjoy the ride and drink in the scenery. How long has it been since you savored a mango-tinged sunrise, the laughter of a child, perhaps a friendly chat with a lonely neighbor? Today, let’s discover the purpose of our actions and take few minutes to give thanks for the countless blessings in our lives. I’ll bet that soon, instead of the nagging, “Are we there yet?” you may find yourself exclaiming, “Wow, how did we get here already?”
When life’s hectic pace threatens to steal joy, take time out to appreciate a world filled with children’s laughter, kind words from a neighbor, and the beauty of a new sunrise. Along the way, you might even create a chapter or two in the story of your life…a beautiful tale shared with family and friends.
This week, take time to relax and discover the people with whom you are journeying through life. Listen to the wind whispering through trees, smell the musky scent of changing leaves, enjoy a cup of flavored coffee (or tea), and tilt your smiling face to the warm sunlit sky or starry night.
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TWO BRUISED HEARTS SEARCHING FOR A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE…
Down on her luck after budget cuts claim her job, art teacher Hope Casey returns to Miracle Cove to raise her five-year-old daughter, Sydney. While working at the local diner, Hope is befriended by Noah Armstrong, the youth director at Miracle Cove’s Community Church.
Noah is dealing with issues of his own—a painful divorce following confirmation that he’ll never be able to father a child. Noah longs for a family of his own, but fears it may never come to pass.
When Noah and Hope team up to direct Miracle Cove’s Christmas Pageant, they are both searching for a little holiday cheer. What they discover is truly a Christmas miracle.
Hi Mary, thanks for this reminder- and goal challenge! As a teacher in the last school term of the year, with final exams about to begin for my seniors, the working day whizzes by faster than I can blink! This is a great reminder to stop and enjoy, rather just race on to the next task on the list.
Blessings:)
It is so important to enjoy the moment, to just breathe.
Thank you for the reminder to slow down and “smell the roses”, Mary!!
We all need to be reminded to slow down and enjoy the little things , especially at this time of year.
We’ve been driving around town with our pregnant daughter and her kids looking at houses for their expanding family. Of course on a 15 minute drive they are asking,” are we there yet?” I laughed at that.
Decades do travel by quickly. It is good to slow down and savor the day.
Enjoying the small things is so imperative to good mental health. Being content where we are. Thank you for sharing. Blessings
That little voice from the backseat is why I taught my son to read a map, which turned out to become a passion for him, as he now has a degree in geography and works with maps in our town office every day! But I found we needed to own two sets of maps for the car, since I also wanted/needed to have one open on MY lap. And now the grandgirls are fascinated by the nav system on the dash of our vehicles.
Thanks for the reminder that it’s what we do along our journey – and our attitude along it – that matters as much as the destination.
Oh yes! I can’t agree more. In fact, I’ll take it one step further. I left behind my big, fast-paced, stressful dayjob in management at a huge Fortune 50 company, at an age many thought was way too young, to move to the beach (my happy place) and live life at my own pace. No more alarm clocks ringing in the still-dark morning. No more racing to work, 8 – 9 business meetings a day, overnight implementations, budget stress, timeline stress, exhaustion and burnout. Nope, for me, it’s now all about moving slower, reading, writing, walking the beach, soaking in God’s beauty. I highly recommend it!
A great reminder for me this week, as I’m busy doing things at home and busy seeing clients, too. I need to slow down and take a breath between doing what I need to do. This is my busy time of year, where everything has a time frame and must be done in that time frame, or there could be trouble. I need to remember to take a deep breath and do my best, and let God do the rest!Thanks for the reminder!
Nowh and Hopr’s story sounds really nice. Do they learn to find time to enjoy the day?
I have a 1.5 month old boy at home and another one turning 3 in three months, so I long for a time to feel the sun in my face again instead or just rushing through my day. I’m pretty sure it will take some time (again).
Great reminder! We live in such a beautiful area of Tennessee — we get to see the mountains on the way home daily. My kids and I often stop to admire the view.