Blink of An Eye

One of the highways I take to work is an interstate with a speed limit of 70 miles per hour. People rarely drive the speed limit. Over time, the speed people are comfortable driving seems to creep higher and higher. It is not unusual for me to get passed by people going 90 or faster. It's tempting to just go with the flow of traffic, but there is value in slowing down, even on a boring drive. And yes, I'm that person driving you crazy going the speed limit in the slow lane. For me, it's one way to lower the stress of the commute.

But then there are times when the decision to slow down is taken completely out of your hands. Tonight was a perfect example of that. Some unexpected winter weather came through and turned the roads to ice. This meant the highway slowed to a crawl as people adjusted their driving to match conditions. If they didn't, they found themselves losing control, landing in a ditch, getting in an accident, spinning out in the road.

Many times in our life we run into the same thing. We race from one thing to another, one celebration to another, neglecting the time in between. But then something comes crashing in that forces us to slow down. It may be an illness, loss of a job or some other event that completely disrupts daily life. Life slows to a crawl and we are forced into a season of waiting.

There is so much push for hustle. Some people have to hustle in order to survive, but many choose it as a way of life. There's no room for slowing down and waiting, which leads to burnout, stress, and health issues in the long term. But there's an alternative. Choosing to slow down and lean into waiting. Training our bodies and minds to slow down and wait is a worthwhile endeavor. This could take the form of practicing mindfulness, journaling, or simply putting the phone down to spend time with someone in person, giving them your full attention.

How are you planning to lean into the time of waiting this Advent season?