“Slow down, you move too fast, you got to make the morning
last." ~ Paul Simon
“No, No, No!” she said hammering
the steering wheel as if tenderizing meat.
“This can’t be happening, not today.”
The traffic snaked up the hill, two lines of steel and tire,
each capable of over 100 MPH and averaging about 5 in their stop-start fashion.
In each self-contained world, radios
told stories, cell phones squawked or texted and flat screens humored kids. Few
noted the scream of sirens from the ambulance driving rapidly into the oncoming
traffic. Just another lap in the (rat)
race.
Patti snaked a U-turn across the median and got off at the
first exit. She’d take the back roads
home; much slower but at least she’d be making progress. She turned on the radio and began singing
along to “Teach Your Children.”
The sweet harmony ended; replaced with the dreaded news
break. Patti drove on while the broadcaster
droned on: a terrorist attack in another European city, rival gang members
killed in Chicago, Congress can’t agree on anything, and fans rioting to celebrate
a national title.
She switched the radio off. Silence seemed preferable to listening to
anything more about the crazy, competitive society we live in. Patti slowed down entering a local town.
A tall muscular man was helping an elderly lady out of a car
and helping position her walker so she could shop in a local store. A smiling woman was tossing birdseed into her
backyard while a dozen robins flew down to enjoy the feast being laid out for
them. A young man was carrying his two
year old daughter safely in his arms. He
tickled her gently when she pulled the hat off his head and they both laughed.
Patti laughed too surveying all the humanity. It felt like a glimpse of Heaven. The radio may have been off, but in her heart she
was still singing. Aah! Patti loved this feeling!
No one was calling her, knocking at her office door and
there was no loud hustle and bustle outside.
“Lord, what did I do to deserve this moment?” she wondered. “Never mind,” her thought process
continued. “I just want to enjoy it. Thank you Jesus, for allowing me this feeling
of freedom and contemplation.”
Honestly, this world could use a little more kindness and a
lot less competition. Kindness makes us
all winners in this life. Kindness
reminds us that we are all God’s Children. Kindness shows us that we don’t have to beat
others in this world. We just have to
love them. May all of your moments here on
earth then be full of kindness, love, and joy. And may your only competition be with
yourself: to be the best possible you … that you can be.
“Slow me down, Lord. Ease the pounding of my heart by quieting my
mind. Steady my hurried pace. Give me time Lord, to look at a flower, to
chat with a friend, to read a few lines from a good book. Amen ~ Orin L. Crain
