“There’s more to life than increasing its speed.” ~
Gandhi
Jackie, a Type-A workaholic didn’t
see it coming. Why would she? Career-addicted, her life consisted largely
of work and sleep. Electronic messages,
ring tones and overcommitted schedules ruled her existence.
She turned up the radio’s volume to catch a Saturday morning
talk show on the way to the office. A
golden-voiced chap was offering some advice to a caller named Bob – something
about marbles. Sounded interesting! She listened more intently.
"Bob, I'm sure you’re well
paid, but it's a shame you have to be away from your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to
work seventy hours a week to make ends meet,” he offered sympathetically.
"Let me explain something that’s helped keep my priorities
straight,” he continued.
"The average person lives about 75 years – or roughly 3,900
Saturdays. By my 55th
birthday, I figured I’d already lived over 2,800 Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be
seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy."
"So I bought some marbles - actually 1,000 of them. I placed them inside of a large, glass jar
right by my front door. Every Saturday
since then, I removed one marble and threw it away."
"Watching the marbles disappear caused me focus on the vital
things in life. There’s nothing like
watching your earthly time expire to “right-size” your priorities."
"Oh, and one last thing,” he proffered. “Today I removed the jar’s very last marble;
God’s blessed me with some “overtime” to share with my loved ones."
Jackie squeezed her eyes shut, just until they stopped
tearing. Her car seemed to turn itself in the opposite direction. She visualized with clarity the damage her harried
existence was doing to her family. “The
truth hurts,” she thought to herself, “but the truth also heals. Take your time, you don't have to rush.”
When she reentered her home, her 4 year old daughter looked
up at her curiously. “What’d you forget,
Mommy?” she asked.
Jackie’s voice trembled as she looked into the small child's
eyes. “I forgot how much a love spending
time with you!” The preschooler looked
surprised by the painful admission, but her face brightened with acceptance.
“Let’s make some chocolate chip pancakes and maybe later hike
through the park?” Jackie offered. “I
know how much you like to pet all the dogs we meet.”
Jackie could wallow in self-pity thinking about the number
of times she rushed aimlessly through life.
Or she could celebrate trying to do things differently starting
today. She chose snow cone eating,
flower picking, seashell hunting, and puppy petting. Pausing to enjoy the simple pleasures of
everyday life is the only way to truly live.
Lord, help me to look deeply at the things I
have and look ahead toward the things I hope for. Words can’t adequately express my love for
You. Listen, instead, to the beating of
my heart. Thank You!
