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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

a change of pace







scenes from the warp-speed february that was




And just like that, it’s as if a switch flipped. And I went from a steady, easy, foundation-building pace to a full throttle burst of activity. Work projects gained momentum, friends and relatives visited from abroad, and my personal to-do list found satisfied check marks all over it. Places to go, things to do—everything just started happening. There was hardly any time for Anna and I to get together—let alone blog—so we opted to recognize that when a wave of activity comes, it’s better to ride along than fight against it. And while I smirk at how that sounds like the best excuse in the world (hey, who has time to write about life when we’re so busy living it? ;) ;)), I did decide to wholeheartedly embrace where I was, figuring that time and life move in cycles. With each ebb and flow, tempos shift and wane, and being aware and accepting of where we are makes all the difference. If we can't learn to appreciate the downtime, we become impatient. If we refuse to budge when it's time for haste, we risk getting stuck in a rut.

So when plans had to change, I’d do my best to roll with things, rather than grit my teeth as I played and replayed the “perfect” scenario that otherwise should have been. When all that go-go-go-ness caught up with me in the form of the stomach flu, I gave myself permission to put everything on hold, checked out from the world, and thanked God for the chance to rest and re-center. And when a last minute trip fell into my lap a few days later, I was recharged enough to allow myself to see it as a gift from the universe, rather than as something that would get in the way of what I already thought I would be doing.

Sometimes things take baby steps and steady progress. Other times there’s a need for speed. If we tune into life’s rhythm and pick up on what pace we should run, walk, or fly at, we struggle less, and live more. And if we also recognize when it’s time to just sit still, we are less likely to miss the miracles that happen right before our eyes.

Life can change in an instant. The thought of that used to terrify me. Now I find myself welcoming these glorious, light-filled flashes, trusting that as I snap out of one moment and into another, I will somehow always land on higher ground.

Love,

Tata

P.S. I always get a little choked-up when I hear this song. Whether we’re in one of our slow stages, or one of those rapid phases, it’s always good to realize that there’s no day but today... to sleep, to work, to run, to rest, to love, to laugh, to be :)