How long has it been since you gazed at a honey sunset folding into the twinkle of dusk’s quiet arms?–inhaled jasmine, honeysuckle or the scent of sunrise glistening in the mist?–framed a baby’s smile for days when frowns jab your mind?–cheered for someone’s achievement without a trace of envy or jealousy?–forgave yourself for the missteps required of all mere mortals?–thanked God for the sheer pleasure of chocolate and rainbows?–laughed at a toddler’s spaghetti face, instead of cursing the messy clean-up?
In short, are we taking time to relish the precious moments?
Being In The Moment
President Monson counsels us to find joy in the journey. To do that, we must occasionally pause by the roadside. Are we “in the moment” or constantly longing for tomorrow’s elusive horizon?
Some years ago I trained for a 10K run. I was so focused on my times for the race (six months hence) that I glossed over the here and now of my trial runs. I lacked joy in the sheer pleasure of running. As a result, the landscape became a drudgery of foot pounding and panting breaths instead of an exhilarating meld of body, mind and scenery.
Gratitude For Everything
Ignoring the moment for the elusive future is one way to spoil the joy in our journey. Another is to look for excuses to feel bad about the here and now, even when we have reason to be joyful. Have you ever received an unexpected bonus at work, then begrudged the amount? Have you ever avoided a terrible accident, yet wasted your escape on berating those who nearly caused it? Have you ever been called to serve in something you felt was beneath or above you, instead of allowing the Lord to stretch you in either direction? When is the last time you expressed gratitude for everything in your life today; the bitter with the sweet, the heartache with the happiness?
Joy In Slowing Down
In keeping with President Uchtdorf’s counsel to slow down a little (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Of Things That Matter Most,” Ensign, Nov., 2010), here are my ten suggestions for slowing down to allow more joy in the journey:
1. Eat slower. When you actually taste your food, your food rewards your mind and body.
2. Drive slower. You’ll get there at approximately the same time, you’ll live longer, and you might actually enjoy what you see along the roadside.
3. Anger slower. Take a deep breath. Pick your battles. See your perceived enemies through their eyes and reflect on your own misbehavior toward others.
4. Move slower. You can’t smell the roses by running from the thorns. Life is all around you; pause for its sweet moments instead of waving at them from the backside of tomorrows that never arrive.
5. React slower. Many an unkind word can be swallowed in the reason of reflection.
6. Grow older slower. If you race through life as a stopwatch-moment, your precious moments will be a blur of unrecognizable fast-forward frames.
7. Love slower. The people in your life are there for a reason. Let your love linger. Love in the up-tempo lane misses the beautiful pauses between the notes.
8. Learn slower. Like feasting on scriptures, everything tastes better when savored, then shared.
9. Serve slower. If we treat others as an end-of-the-month checklist, our assigned friendship will run out of calendar. Charity never fails because it isn’t measured by calendars and clocks.
10. Be slower: slow to judge, slow to criticize, slow to hear the beckoning discord of the natural man.
Besides, when we slow down a bit, we are more likely to listen to the Savior’s loving, steady call–a call that transforms us from the busy duty of doing, to the boundless capacity of being–one joyful step at a time.
