This is the time to be slow.
Yesterday I got a little overwhelmed. Anyone else have those days? My older son was unmotivated and my twins were fighting like cats (we cut their nails last night, better late than never). And I was trying to insert my own to do list in between breaking up fights and pushing my son to just do one more problem.
So at some point, I just put it all down and said “boys we are eating lunch outside.” I had planned on moving their picnic table out the front door myself after getting their food together, but they did it when I wasn’t looking. They even saved me a tiny little seat at their tiny table.
As we ate in the sun and noticed the clouds forming in the sky, I felt myself slow down for a minute. And I realized something – I was still putting February 2020 standards on this new reality. Even as the calendar pages flipped to April this week, I was still acting like everything could be up to my standards like normal. And being down on myself when everything didn’t quite reach that bar.
But it’s not normal. And therefore normal standards on ourselves and others are impossible to maintain. We have never done this before. None of us.
And, on the other side of all of this, despite our best efforts to remain as we were… we will all be changed.
So…
“This is the time to be slow,
Lie low to the wall
Until the bitter weather passes.
Try, as best you can, not to let
The wire brush of doubt
Scrape from your heart
All sense of yourself
And your hesitant light.
If you remain generous,
Time will come good;
And you will find your feet
Again on fresh pastures of promise,
Where the air will be kind
And blushed with beginning.
(John O’Donohue)
Now is the time to be slow. Enjoy the sun or watch the rain fall and be gentle on ourselves and others. Remain generous and you will find your feet.
