While in Colorado, I had plenty of time to rest. It’s no secret that resting isn't always easy for me. I tend to choose "doing," getting things checked off my list and quickly moving to the next thing. As I sat at a coffee shop in Vail, reading the memoir Paris in Love, I came across this excerpt from the book (written by a woman whose family spent a one-year sabbatical in France):
"The French walk slowly. They amble down the street, meet friends and spend two minutes kissing, then plant themselves, chatting as if they were created for this moment. My husband and I walk like New Yorkers: fast, dodging obstacles, glancing at windows, going places. It's taken a few months... but I now keep thinking: Where am I going that's so urgent, when all these French people don't agree?"
She's right! What am I doing that's so urgent? Such a delightful and freeing observation. I was happy to embrace the French ways for the rest of my trip. I stopped looking at email on my phone, stopped looking at my watch and enjoyed the moments, the mountains and the friends.
Not even our flight home—which was complete with a 3-month-old who started screaming (and I mean, SCREAMING) before the plane even left the gate—could disturb my rejuvenated self after my weekend away. While my heart went out to that baby, his parents and all the nearby passengers (they were at least 15 rows behind), even more annoying was the drunk guy two rows behind us who decided to imitate the screaming baby. But no, I (mostly) didn’t let him get to me either.
Then I went back to work and, well, there's still room for improvement on the whole resting and de-stressing thing for me, but I’m rejoicing in the small, joy-filled victories.
I listen to many podcasts on my iphone while at work and one of them is Andy Stanley from Northpoint Church in Atlanta. The series right now is called "Breathing Room". It is a great series about having margin in our lives, in our time, in our finances, and in our relationships. We do tend to scurry about don't we. Of course in temps like today, maybe that makes sense. I would like to see the French pause for a two minute kiss in -12 temps with wind chills even lower.
ReplyDeleteI do sense sometimes that life gets going to fast, and I think Jesus wants us to take it in a bit more.
Ok. I hate it when the wrong "to, two, too" is used, so ARRRRGGGHHHH!. I apologise for my last sentence above which should have a "too" in it rather than a "to".
ReplyDeleteThanks Tim! I've heard some phenomenal messages from Andy Stanley. Thanks for letting me know about this latest series--I will definitely check it out. I value all reminders to rest--but especially the biblical ones!
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