Sunday Night With John: Slow Motion Saturday

We have picked up our pace in recent years traveling to and from places, always in a rush to plan what’s next. We throw clichés around such as, “time flies, they grow up too fast, I wish I had more time, and where did the time go?” I’m here this week to remind us that there is this wonderful place in life called the present that we often forget exists. We push ourselves to the next work out, the next career milestone, and to the next big life moment so fast that we forget to stop, connect, and just breathe in the beauty of now.

I was in search of the now this weekend. I wanted to get bored and wonder why the time was passing so slowly.  I wanted to be present in the moment with the women I love and the friends I care deeply about. I was carving not the future, nor the past, but a moment in slow motion like I enjoyed as a kid playing in the back yard. There was no thought of tomorrow’s deadline, what to do with my 401k, and what direction to turn my career. There was also no longing of yester year and no wishing I was back in some other time, there was the present.

In our search of now this weekend, we didn’t get off to the best start.  My key became locked in my ignition and my car’s anti theft system engaged. My key would not pull out and my car would not start. My first thought was why now and how much will this cost?  I quickly pushed those thoughts aside and asked my friends accompanying Anne and me on a little over night camping trip if they could drive. I would take care of the car on Sunday. The car trouble would not pull me into thinking about my future, which might include a tow truck.

We arrived at Kent Park, in Tiffin, Iowa around 1:30pm, which is only about 25 minutes from my doorstep. I wanted a weekend in the present, and my friend didn’t want a long drive. A compromised was hatched and we set out on a camping trip close to home to quench my thirst. We arrived and set up shop.  As I lay in my hammock, I begin to soak in the fall breeze mixed with a hint of lingering summer heat. We chatted and reminisced about our horrific mosquito filled hiking trip earlier this year and stated how much better this trip was already.  As music played the conversation dwindled just for a minute to allow me to take a deep breath and I could feel my heart and body sink into the moment. My mind cleared and thoughts of past regrets and future worries trickled away. This moment swaying in the hammock with good tunes in the background was the state of being I was chasing.

The conversation picked back up and we went for a stroll around the lake. We watched the leaves begin to float gently away from the branches and fall to the ground.  Soon enough, fall would be in its full glory.  But today summer and autumn played together. As we settled in to cook our dinner with the sun disappearing behind the trees, Anne asked what time was it. My friend answered, “barely 6:30” and Anne gushed about how she thought it was way later than that. My heart filled because even though I cannot stop time, I felt our trip, our conversation, and our relationships as friends may have just may have helped to slow it down. With many more hours in front of us to play with, a camp fire to be enjoyed, s’mores to be cooked, and laughter to be felt, we had found a way to have a slow motion Saturday, they kind of day you write about! 

Pictures courtesy of my talented my wife!

Enjoy your Sunday Evening, and thanks for reading. Please share my blog on Facebook, Twitter, or by word of mouth. Remember we only get so much time with each other.  The most important thing to do when we are blessed with good company is to slow down, soak it in as long as you can and just enjoy the wonderfulness of the present.