I used to be quite an Alabama fan.  No, not in regards to football.  The country music group, Alabama.  These guys…

They have a song called “I’m in a Hurry.”  This could be the main idea of my life on most days.  The lyrics are kind-of discouraging…

I’m in a hurry to get things done
Oh I rush and rush until life’s no fun
All I really gotta do is live and die
But I’m in a hurry and don’t know why.

Now, I can tell you why I’m in a hurry most days.  I’ve got to get to work.  I’ve got a million and one things to do, and I also have to do my actual job title, teach!  I’ve got to quickly eat lunch to get to emails and other paperwork.  I’ve got to finish up at school to pick up a little wee one waiting ever so patiently at daycare.  Then, it’s dinner and the race to prep for the next day ahead.  I have legitimate reasons.  That doesn’t mean I have to like it all the time.  Most days, I’m in my groove, my routine.  Some days, I realize things have got too structured, too demanding, too fast-paced.  I’ve actually tried to be more slow intentional in about 3 things that I was doing today.  I’ve got to start small since I’m a rushing addict.  Baby steps.  H was playing in the tubbie tonight, and I realized that I was rushing through bath time.  What a bummer for a boy who loves bubbles!  I looked at my phone to read a news article for a few minutes (Heaven forbid I just sit still without doing something!), and little H got my body wash down and began amusing himself with it.  I decided to watch him and see what he was up to.  He opened and shut the tube of wash countless times and gave himself a little chuckle each and every time.  If I had been rushing through, we might have missed this moment.  I would have missed seeing his sweet face in such deep concentration.  As an educator, I take that extreme concentration as a good sign!  I wouldn’t have given him the chance to practice it if we had been rushing.  Now, I’m not saying I’m slowing down in everything or maybe even every day. Slowing down once in a while provides us a window to see the world a little differently.  Like seeing sheer tickled-ness on H’s face when he figured out the lid.  Thanks Alabama for setting good advice to a nice tune!