This morning I woke up to the most beautiful sky. The perfect shade of darkest blue heightened the sparkliness of the stars. I don’t know why the pre-sun sky is prettier in cooler weather. It just is. I hopped on my bike and sped down the hill and got busy burning calories.
Today I opted out of listening to music as I rode. I decided to meditate and pray. My head felt a little cloudy and I was eager to clear out the cobwebs. Any morning I’m tempted to skip my workout I remember how sluggish I feel the whole day. Besides, I love exercising.
A few miles into my ride I found the perfect stretch of open road and just inhaled the cool air. But before I could really hit my stride, a group of cars sped by, one of whom seemed hell-bent on hitting me. I felt the whoosh as it nearly grazed me and I gasped. My heart started thumping and I clung to the steering wheel as if I were hanging from a tree–50 feet in the air. Since this is not the first time I have experienced such an encounter, I was clear-headed enough not to panic. The good new was, I wasn’t flying through the air on a direct course with the ground. I wasn’t splattered against the pavement. And my nice bike wasn’t splintered and twisted into rubble. It’s a beautiful day when you survive your morning ride.
I thought about that car all day. I wondered why he or she hates cyclists. I considered that he or she may have been late to work. I thought maybe I had done something to offend him/her (though that is highly unlikely as I only saw the car for a few seconds). But I finally settled on the truth as I saw it, the person driving that car wasn’t concerned about me at all. He or she was just busy.
I found myself at work cycling through tasks like a hamster on a wheel. If I deleted one email, three more popped up. As I moved one meeting, four more took its place. My stress levels increased and my right eye began to twitch. My brain switched to fight-or-flight mode and I began to feel anxious. About mid afternoon I got up from my desk to walk around the perimeter of my floor. I saw the clouds and the sky through the window and longed to be outside. “What a waste of a good day,” I thought. “And all because I’m so dreadfully busy.” But even as that thought popped into my head, I remembered how fortunate I am to have a job that pays my bills and puts food on my table. Still, I loathe busy-ness.
Our world has become entirely too busy. People rush hither and thither. They pack more tasks than can be accomplished into every second they are awake and then get angry when any kind of distraction averts them from their course. Maybe that is why the Wall Street Journal published a piece today titled, “5 Reasons Americans Are Unhappy.” The reasons stated for this unhappiness are:
1) We are zoning out with gadgets (computers help us escape from our emotions)
2) 50% of Americans are stressed!
3) The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous are making Americans jealous
4) Americans take less vacation time.
5) Americans are unhappy because they are unhealthy.
I watched this after work today and just shook my head. America is the wealthiest country in the world. We have freedoms other nations hate us for. And here we are….miserable. Fat and decidedly unhappy. So this is what becomes of people when they get everything their hearts desire….they are cantankerous and cranky.
Tomorrow is Friday. I will probably be very busy. But as I work about my tasks, I have decided to work on my thought processes and enjoy my work. Then, when I leave work, I plan to leave my work behind. I’m not going to worry about it, or think about it, or plan to go in early on Monday to “catch up.” And on Saturday I’m going to work in my yard and enjoy my family. I resolve to hug my children, read them at least one story, and have one good romp with my boxer, Tank. My house won’t get cleaned. I may make homemade bread, and I will enjoy myself.
We are allotted one life. Every day is precious and we never know which may be our last. I refuse to spend my minutes, hours and days so dreadfully busy that I can’t enjoy what is most important. Besides, as the fantastic Veggie Tales video of yester-year taught me, busy-ness does not make for a good neighbor.
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