Reminder to Slow Down

Jesus taught me to try to slow down. He was not type A trying to visit as many countries as he could in three years. He stayed near home, directed but did not micromanage the apostles. He was mindful of the moment and did not attempt to control it. He did not force himself on those who did not want him around and spent time with those who invited him. The Spiritual Exercises are transformative; I was blessed that I was able to do them slowly over the course of a year, that was a true gift to Type A me. I pray that, if it be God’s will, each person who desires them will be presented an opportunity to participate in the Spiritual Exercises or spend a significant amount of time with their faith or spiritual tradition.

I still oftentimes go a million miles a minute but, frequently enough, I recognize the speed and give myself permission to skip a meeting or ignore an email imploring me to sign another petition. If I can't live up to my commitments I simply apologize and re-set the time frame; I give others permission to be late so that they will extend me the same courtesy.

I am still working on sitting down with my family and watching mindless TV just to be with them!