11242016 Slow Down
I spent the day listening to some very smart students talk, and I realized that I’m not a kid anymore. I’ve been too many places and seen too many things to be anything but old. Yet, I still feel new. Every day is new for me. I want to share with you some important things I’ve learned to cherish in the years since I turned 13. Because what is it all worth if not shared?
Breathe. Inhale the air, let your lungs expand so full you feel like they might burst. I promise, you’ll feel life. Taste the food. Whether it’s the soft doughy crust of a pizza smothered in cheese or a crisp, green leaf of lettuce; savor it, I promise, you’ll taste life. Listen to the lyrics. Yes, the beats are good, and the tempo invigorating; but the words – let them penetrate you. I suggest Vienna, by Billy Joel or Good Riddance, by Green Day, or Slow Down by Nichole Nordeman. All perfect words to celebrate slowing down and embracing the reality that we only get one trip on this planet. Listen, really hear what the artist is saying – I promise, you’ll hear life. Feel. Run your hands across the desk, feel the smooth, cool surface. Touch the wall, let your fingers fall into the crevices and know that it’s solid. Rub the knee of your jeans. It’s warm and soft and rippled. I promise you’ll feel life. Look around you. See the people moving in and out of the path, wandering to this place or that. Look at their clothes, their skin, their eyes. See a person and not just a figure. Notice their face, is it relaxed or drawn tight? Look deep, look long. I promise, you’ll see life. Read. Read an inspirational quote, read the Bible, read a classic novel, read a biography. Touch the pages, see the print on the sheet, smell that familiar smell, and read. Read it until the words imprint themselves on the tablet of your heart. I promise, you’ll read life. Watch. Watch a movie, a good black and white like It’s A Wonderful Life or Casablanca or To Kill A Mockingbird. Watch and see through the eyes of those who never had a color tv or digital media. Notice the way people spoke and dressed and held themselves back then. I promise, you’ll watch classic life. Get near water. Listen as it rushes over rocks, or crashes against a jetty, hear it lapping, and smell the salt or mud. I promise, you’ll feel a refreshing life.
Drive. Go. Get in a car and roll the windows down. Let the air blow against your skin. Feel the heat of the sun on your face. Turn up the radio, dance like nobody’s watching, be silly for a minute. Notice your grip on the wheel, the control and freedom and responsibility all in your grip. It’s a good trip, even if there is no destination. Cry. It’s okay, really. Let the tears burn in your eyes and roll down your cheeks. Sob and bawl and just let it out. I promise, you’ll live fully if you do. Laugh every chance you get. Whether it’s when you spill breakfast on your shirt five seconds before you walk out the door or your mom trips over a completely flat sidewalk, laugh. Even when you feel like you shouldn’t. Laughter releases serotonin, and that’s some feel good chemicals you need. If you laugh, I promise you’ll be laughing a good life. Sit still. Force yourself. I know it’s hard. I look at all of us today, we’re always on our phones. We can’t even wait in line for the bathroom without doing something. We’re checking social media, texting, or looking something up for the next thing. We’re planning, working and making ourselves miss some really important stuff. Sit for one minute – 60 seconds – without doing one single thing. Work your way up to five minutes. It will seem awkward and uncomfortable and not fun at first, but in time, you’ll appreciate the five minutes of peace you’ll take back from the chaos that this life becomes. I promise. Call someone. They want to hear your voice. It’s hard to believe someone would want to, knowing all the sounds that make up our days, but really, your friends and family want to hear the sound of your voice. Even if it’s just a voicemail letting them know you’re running late. I promise.
I’m a simple person, I don’t have much to offer the world, but I have enough time under my belt to promise you that you’re only missing the things you don’t make time for. There will always be more friends. There will be more homework, more bills, more jobs, more responsibilities than you can ever dream up. But there will not always be more time. I promise you, if you just take five minutes each day, to truly observe everything around you, you won’t regret it.
Remember that no matter what, you are all you have. Take care of yourself. I hope I’ve given you a good base of things to cherish. I know you’ll be making your own list to share with someone younger than you one day.
Love, me.
Momma Rich's 