It's a Process

My youngest son Peter has played in a drum corps for several years now. He is in college now, but when he was home, I'd have to make sure that he was awake in time to get to practice. Every morning was pretty much the same. I would wake him up earlier than I really had to, knowing that he would fall back asleep, and I'd have to walk back upstairs to wake him up again.One morning on the third attempt to get him out of bed, he stretched and said to me, "it's a process".

I think back on that morning most times I hear someone, or myself say that phrase. In fact, I have started using the phrase as somewhat of a coping mechanism when I get too wound around something and lose my patience. I take a deep breath and tell myself that it's a process.

You may have heard sayings like "it's not the destination, it's the journey to get there", or "don't rush, stop and smell the roses along the way". I'll bet that most of the times you've heard sayings like these, you haven't taken the time to understand their full value. We live in an over-scheduled, crowded world with most of the simplicity stripped from it. We speed from one destination to the other while our minds are focused on some other deadline that we have to meet.

What about the world that is whizzing by?

I write this today equally as a reminder to myself as to anyone reading it. Try stopping along the way to add value to whatever is right in front of you. Beauty can be found in the smallest things, but the smallest things can't be found if you are running by them, preoccupied with some other thought or place. Slow down and experience what's there. It could be even better than what you are rushing off to do!