I’m in a hurry and don’t know why!
I can’t seem to shake the temptation to rush. Having become acclimated to a world of split-second communication, smart phones, e-mail and jam-packed calendars, I struggle to keep up with myself.
During baseball season the public address system at our local ball park plays a haunting song by Alabama called “In a Hurry.” For some reason it’s been running through my mind over and over and I finally gave in and digested the words which caught me up short.
It goes like this:
“I’m in a hurry to get things done.
Oh I rush and rush until life’s no fun.
All I really gotta do is live and die,
But I’m in a hurry and don’t know why.
Don’t know why I have to drive so fast.
My car has nothing to prove.
It’s not new
But it’ll do zero to sixty in five point two.
Can’t be late, I leave in plenty of time.
Shakin’ hands with the clock
I can’t stop
I’m on a roll and I’m ready to rock.
Oh, I hear a voice
That says I’m running behind
Better pick up my pace
It’s a race and there ain’t no room for someone in second place
I’m in a hurry to get things done
Oh I rush and rush until life’s no fun
All I really gotta do is live and die
But I’m in a hurry and don’t know why.”
That’s me to a Tee. I do everything quickly, driven by some unknown force that urges me to accomplish more and cram more into each day until it feels like a daily “grind.” That same force stabs me with with guilt if I sit and just enjoy the view.
What a conundrum! Throughout our lives we are taught to value speed, to get things done quickly. We learn that doing is more valuable than being. As we rush forward in search of some elusive sense of fulfillment, we strip ourselves of peace and contentment. We fail to notice the beauty all around us.
So I’m moving slowly today. If I’m late for your meeting, I’m sorry, but I had to let a turtle cross the road. And no more microwave dinners that can be prepared in lightening speed - going from 32 degrees to piping hot in three minutes and consumed in less than that.
I’m slowing down today to smell the roses, (or the mosquito spray if that’s the case) because I’m told that a relaxed tempo will open my mind to deeper levels of awareness and renewed appreciation of the gloriousness of being alive.
August 15th, 2008 at 2:34 am
Here we go at such odd hours! I know Robert from 50 years ago and more power to him!!! ( Sigma Chi). Take care! David