The Slow Road

I guess it was by coincidence that after writing the last blog "too busy", I went to a class at church tonight that was about "slowing down and finding the joy that God intended." It was also about finding time for "solitude".

1. In the past few years, I have worked on this. Our family never took real vacations. They were extended weekends where as much as possible would be poured into all available time and then go home exhausted. I finally changed that by buying into "time share". The idea of paying the vacations ahead of time, worked for me. Use it or lose it!

2. Getting a house with a pool, slows me on summer days. It is a guilty pleasure and the guilt has faded. Where I grew, the idea of a swimming pool at home was like dreaming of going to the Moon. My kids also grew up without anything close. But not the Grand kids. They alone can keep me from work at a moment's notice.

3. I can almost remember the time about three years ago when I stopped working Sunday afternoons. Since then I have also cut out Saturdays. The first thing I learned was, I didn't accomplice any more working everyday than working five days. The sad thing is that now that the kids are groaned I don't work! But I did when they were living with us. A sad commentary.

4. Recently, I took another step. We were having dinner at with a family from our church. After eating the guys went into the host's home office. I looked around and listened as he talked about studying in this room and meditating in this room. I took it all in and thought about it for a few days. I remembered designing a dream home many years ago. In that dream home I designed a room at the end of the gallery/hall that I called a chapel. It was to be a get away room (not a man-cave) to think and listen to music, etc. So, I took one of our unused bedrooms and transformed to into my library/office/chapel. This is the first house we have lived in that I did not set up an office, studio, or work room. This is different. This space slows me down.

I know that these things are luxuries that were not promised or earned. I am blessed and do not take them lightly and realize the need that I must pay for these by helping others.

Its funny that this blog is at mikesslowroad.blogspot.com. Mike's slow road hasn't always been slow. That's why I point myself toward "Less Traveled Roads."