Wasn’t it just July?
Probably one the most frequent conversations my wife and I have stems around the elusive, missing months.
Where did ________ go?
It’s gotten so bad that we don’t even have to say it anymore. We’ll both just feel it, look at each other, and say something like, “Yeah, I know.”
But then, when did time ever feel slow?
My knee jerk reaction was when I was in 5th grade. Long summer days. Playing outside from 7am to dusk with my buddies. Summer took half the year. Now it takes half a week.
But as I was sitting in the doctor’s office waiting room the other day, I realized there was a time ten years ago where I was bored in such a place. There wasn’t a flatscreen TV on the wall. I didn’t have an iPhone glued to my hip. Nor did I have a MacBook Pro or iPad slipped in my backpack. Just a stack of crusty, over-read magazines on a coffee table drenched with the bubonic plague.
The point is, I’ve realized it’s impossible to be bored today.
There is always something to see, read, look up, or connect to. Wi-fi, cellular, broadband. Always something to keep us distracted.
Think about it. When was the last time you were actually bored?
While every one of us in the modern age could do with a little less internet access and TV time, nostalgia could very easily jump in and say, “We must have simpler times again. Death to smartphones!”
But that’s a pretty easy copout.
The greater, more astute determination is what are you busying yourself with? Distractions of the right sort can actually keep us from pursuing the wrong course.
I want to be distracted from self-centeredness by serving my family. I want to be distracted from the mundane by living out the Gospel in front of unsaved people. I want to be so preoccupied with the creative advancement of the Kingdom that I don’t have time to fret over the failing kingdoms of man.
Working hard, staying focused, and being the consummate student are all things I was raised to do. It’s amazing how often I encounter people who are allergic to “hard work without a break.” As if their mandatory smoke break or magical vacation solve everything. Which they don’t.
It’s how you play your life that counts, not how you pause it.
So if the scenery seems blurry to you, don’t worry about the speed: the course is far more important. And the passengers.
I’m running fast with my wife and children. We’re proclaiming the Gospel with every ounce of energy we have. Every creative idea. Every mile traveled.
The key to living “at speed” is being a better savorer then a backward looker. Because while you may be traveling at a great rate of speed outside, inside the vehicle you’re at a relative “0.”
The moments we have are fleeting. Cherish them. But keep moving forward, as there are many more to come.
Let’s change the question “Where did the week go?” to “How did you live it?” ch:
