It’s so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life that you sometimes barely even feel the time passing by. It’s Monday, and then, all of a sudden, it’s Monday again. With school, Elisa’s ballet, Garrett’s cubscouts, and my work and extra tutoring, we sometimes seem to be barrelling ahead at full speed, with no time for enjoyment or reflection.
I read somewhere a quote that rang true with me: Americans often mistake activity for happiness. That is, as long as they’re busy and moving, they figure, they must be happy. Being still is equated, in American culture, to being lazy.
However, anyone who has ever just sat and watched the wind blow in the trees or got down on their hands and knees to observe a bug with their kids, or meditated quietly, knows that these still, simple pasttimes can truly be a source of joy–taking that time to reflect has an amazing, grounding effect. More can be done in our personal progression in just a few minutes of meditation, I think, than in a whole week of rushing here and there.
For this reason, I’ve been making an effort to do a short message and meditation with the kids before bed at night. It gives us a chance to connect and review our day together–and to plan good things for the day to come. I think it really helps. I feel that, since we’ve been doing this, we’ve become closer and have been able to deal with daily struggles more easily.
I wish our society weren’t so activity-oriented and so rushed, but, as long as it is, I think we’ve found a way to cope a little better.