In my personal journal today I found a note from Dee Dee Johnson of Fort Oglethorpe, and it reminded me of something I have learned about time: Believe it or not, you can slow time down.
She wrote, "I was sitting on my porch this morning feeling the cool and refreshing breeze. It feels so good. People who miss out on this time of day are missing a treat. The thought crossed my mind that it soon will be too cold to do this. What will I do then? I will anticipate when I can do it again."
She had learned how refreshing a few minutes of quiet on a cool-breeze morning can be to the human mind. She could have hit the floor, quickly bathed and dressed and hit the road to some appointment, but she took time to enjoy the cool morning breeze with her old cat.
Every time during the day or night that we create a special moment to savor any activity that comforts and de-stresses us, we are slowing down time.
Time is, after all, subjective to each of us. Each person has his own ways to experience it. Why not choose ways that slow it down and allow us to taste it before it hurries on.
I can still see my mother walk into the kitchen upon arising. She would look out on her bird-watching area and clap her hands, then exclaim, "This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it." At the time I had not lived long enough to appreciate that she was showing me how to slow time down. Every moment of exultation freezes time so whatever experience you are having sparkles and shines for you.
You can create sweet and playful moments in the time you experience at any time of the day or night. One night I could not sleep, and instead of rolling restlessly in bed, I went to the Tennessee Riverpark and swung like a child in the children's play area there. The river air was so delicious I could actually taste it. Old as I am, I have never felt so young and free.
If I had remained in bed tossing and turning, time would have crept along. Instead I said to time, "Slow down and let me fully experience you."
I made the mistake of once saying, "Time is like a train to me. I feel that each boxcar is a year of my life and I am standing by the tracks watching the years fly by."
This attitude made the years fly by. I had created a template for time, and it gave me what I ordered. I have learned to stay constantly open to experiencing little delights throughout the day.
It reminds me of a baby calf I once saw trying to nurse its mother while she was busy grazing. At first it seemed to aggravate her, but suddenly she stopped and let the calf nurse for a few minutes. It may have been my imagination, but it seemed to me that she and the calf froze time for a few minutes to allow the pleasure of nurturing love to invade their day.
Let moments of intense experience pop in and out of your busy schedule and you, too, can make time stand still.
Email Dalton Roberts at DownhomeP@aol.com.