Urgent

Living gratefully today, I give thanks for my stepchildren Arthur and Emily. I have watched them grow into adulthood since meeting them at ages 6 and 3. I appreciate my son Sam in new ways too as he also grows into adulthood.

Today is Arthur's 30th birthday. I remember that milestone in my own life with mixed emotions. Happy Birthday and enjoy your day! 

This African saying and "WORD FOR THE DAY" from gratefulness.org is a real zinger today:

The times are urgent; let us slow down.

Let me repeat that. "The times are urgent; let us slow down. What a seeming contradiction at first glance. But as the words sink in, their wisdom also does. Harried, hurried, frenzied, frenetic. Trying to maintain control in situations where most factors are beyond my control. These are all words, feelings, circumstances that I am familiar with and to which I continue to subject myself at times. 

I have paid a heavy price for that on some days and in some years and decades of my life.  A heavy price in my overall well-being, and particularly my mental and emotional clarity. Those struggles have made me teachable though. Often only after much pain. Coming from a place of pain makes us more ready to learn and change though.

And I continue to do that. Learn not just the value of slowing down, but the necessity of it also. As I transform unhealthy habits and thought processes to more healthy ones, I see and feel the wisdom of this short and simple African saying all the more. 

I slowed down in some meditation time this morning. I slowed down to write this post. The day is off to a good start. Have a good one and a good weekend!