“He likes driving very fast on the wrong side of the road,” said Sarah. “Which I can completely understand.”  ― Hilary McKay

I recently read an article about the differences between growing up today, as compared with the 80’s and 90’s.  I thought it would be a funny piece about how today’s kids don’t recognize rotary phones, and how hilarious our hair was, but in the end it just made me sad.

It’s true we no longer have to keep dialing if there’s a busy tone; we can text or message, and get an instant reply.  We don’t have to watch commercials, or wait for our favorite show to be on next week; we can watch the whole season on demand, right now.

The article stated children today have no patience, that technology has taught them it’s not necessary, but I think the truth is, we all have less patience.

We expect instant access, don’t want to wait, and seem to have less time for one another.  I can’t recall the last time I spoke to a friend on the phone.  Between work schedules and kids, it’s not easy to get together in person either.

In this era of ever-faster, I wonder if we can keep up?  I’m pretty sure I can’t go faster than I am. 

In my industry, people talk about how the speed and volume of big data is overwhelming.  I’ve observed project timelines shrinking; we’ve come to a place where speed and efficiency overlap.

Technology helps us review data, and automate parts of the process, but some things remain manual. There is no replacement for real thought.  However, it is a luxury to have time to sift through the analysis, and think about the implications.

In recent years, I’ve been impressed by the speed of my own mind, and how comfortable I’ve become with trusting my gut.  The speed of progress energizes me most of the time. 

I’m equally surprised some days, when I wake up, and it all stops.  Either I have a cold, or nameless melancholy threatens to overwhelm me.  I can’t shake the feeling I’m drowning in my life, and tasks of my own making.

These are the times when I realize right now has a price.  In order to keep up, we have to rest.  Like a marathon runner, once the training and the race is over, we need to recover.  I might say there is no time, I didn’t plan for down time this week, or the kids aren’t going to accept me taking a sick day, but in reality, sometimes there is no choice.

Rather than thinking my mind and body has betrayed me, I need to realize rest is essential after a run of right now. 

With the holiday week upon us, there seems no better time for some R&R.

I had bought some old fashioned looms and rag loops the last time I took the kids to visit the local history museum.  They had no idea what this was, but were interested when they saw their elves had started stretching the loops across the loom.

With the built in stillness and dark of the solstice, we clustered around the table, as I taught them how to string the loops across.

My mind cleared as I watched my own fingers deftly moving, remembering how to create the over-under pattern. I felt I was able to breathe deeply as the colorful design emerged.  The kids looked in wonder, and wanted to learn how to weave their own. I watched as their little fingers pushed and pulled.

Afterwards, we gathered around the tree to read Christmas stories, and eat the snickerdoodles we baked.  Time hovered for a moment, like the crystalline air of winter.

“A raindrop will never look more beautiful than how it looks right now.” ― Anthony T. Hincks