There may be many apparent reasons to hurry. But there are many more powerful reasons to not hurry. And if you find yourself rushing through something or speeding to get somewhere in your car (like I can do all too easily), then you are the person this message is really intended for (mea culpa).
First, by rushing through something we are literally not experiencing life…we are hurrying to get to where we think life begins. We could string together an entire lifetime of rushing around and never live a single day. And the underlying unspoken thesis is that what we are hurrying to get to is better than what we are hurrying through. Wash the dishes…feel the warm water and slippery soap. Think about other slippery or warm things that you have lived through. Give thanks for being able to afford indoor plumbing. Give thanks for dirty dishes which mean you have food. Look at the cars in traffic. Talk to your loved ones that have passed away. Sing a song. Count to twenty in Spanish or German. Actually experience this tiny locus of space time, because it is gone all too soon.
And to make your new non-hurrying life a little easier to stick with, try leaving five minutes earlier to go wherever you are going. After years of rushing to yoga class I decided to leave five minutes earlier and I got so much more out of the class. I didn’t stress all the way over there hoping to catch the lights green. I didn’t arrive frazzled. I got to choose my favorite spot in the room for the practice. I might live longer or healthier or at least a little happier by making this one tiny adjustment. I’m sure the likelihood of a car accident is reduced. When going to the airport leave half an hour earlier than you think you need to. Bring a book to enjoy the extra little bit of leisure….you probably were going to bring one anyway.
If we practice not hurrying we may even find that we have MORE time. We do not have to fix or rework things as often. We may require less sleep and ingest less caffeine and alcohol. We may get sick less often. Our relationships may improve. Our work place evaluations may rise. We likely will have fewer aches and pains.
And if we are believers, what are we actually saying to our creator by hurrying through tasks? That we do not appreciate the nourishing rain that we are grumbling in or the clothing we are begrudgingly folding, like warm bread from the dryer? Every moment can be a perfect moment on the path. The path does not have gaps and voids and mistakes. It is the path. Some of it is ice cream sundaes and rainbows, other stretches are broken toes and freeway construction zones. And on our deathbed, nearly every one of us would gladly accept another “extra day” of health to spend raking the yard and sitting in traffic.
