Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Movement

For the last couple of years it seems like we’ve been experiencing a pattern. Or perhaps it’s just that I’ve become more aware of time. In any event, during the last couple of years, each year starts out rather uneventful then around the middle of the year things really start to pick up speed. Certainly this year has been no exception. Although the world on a hold has been extremely active, it seems these activities have in some ways caused us all to stop or at best slow down. For certainly this year has been a show stopper on many fronts with the global economy dangling by a thread, tsunami in Japan, the unemployment situation in the U.S. (not to be elevated above any other countries unemployment situation—just it’s in my own back yard, so to speak), and the uprising/uprooting taking place in northern Africa to name a few. Needless to say someone, somewhere has been affected by these global events, which has caused them to stop or at best slow down. Perhaps these events have caused them to be present in their own lives for the first time in a very long time. I know on more than one occasion I’ve been halted in my tracks to stop and refocus to present time which was a true blessing, but yet at times so difficult to do when you’re so use to going a million miles another.

I’m not sure why we have this need, and possibly it’s just myself, to constantly be on the go, whether for family, work, education, etc. Even taking time for spiritual devotion (prayer) seems to be scheduled amidst all our other doings. Where did this way of thinking come from? This is not to say that I believe we should all be sitting around being unproductive, but maybe more reflective on how we spend our daily time. I think a lot of our daily living is not reflected on more than “this is what I have to do to survive”. Is that entirely true? Could we possibly live a different way and still survive?

Maybe, just maybe, these last couple of years of starting out rather uneventful and eventually progressing into more activity is nature’s way of slowing us down. Maybe it’s God’s way of giving us a gentle nudge to redirect our focus and reprioritize our lives. In any event, I feel blessed to be a part of this planet at this time of life to see the dynamic events unfold before the world as well as experience all the changes happening around us.


How do you feel about the times we are living in?

2 comments:

on the edge said...

Hey there Ibeebarbie ! Hope Amira is doing well and happy in school this year.

Slowing down... since I live in Tripoli , Libya and we are in the midst of a war , granted one that is hopefully winding down , I have had the last9 months to slow down and reflect on life . It has been a blessing as strange as that may seem , in that it has given me concentrated time in which to recognize the things that are truly important in my life . Then to give God all the credit He so handsomely deserves in the way of prayerful thanks.They say all things happen for a reason.I do believe that now as I grew older, as I have seen for myself over and over the truth of this .

PH said...

Hey Ibee,

I get what you're talking about and I think it is true for a lot of people; but for many others this last year was totally hectic and quite the opposite.
Not that we didn't stop and think about life or refocus; but it was momentary and then you just moved on. I can't even remember the dates of events we just remember the events; like when this guy died or this city was taken or when this speech was made and then you look up a calender and check it to know the date. Reminds me of how our ancestors used to record time; by events. It was nearly all the same ....