Slow down and smell the flowers.

The 21st century life is largely fast paced. Everybody seems to be in a hurry to God knows where. Today's generation can be aptly labelled the microwave era. Everything is quick no time to waste. Even advertisers and manufacturers are narrowing their products to suit today's consumers. Everything is on the go-food on the go, gadget on the go-on the go to where I ask?

 I was slightly amazed some months back when I discovered the small oats pot for the busy person. Simply add hot water and its ready to eat. I wonder how it will compare to the "normal" oats variety that you have to properly cook. Call me old fashioned but there must be a difference even if its marginal.

 Some will argue that time is a precious commodity which nobody has to waste. I totally agree but in blazing through life many lose touch with reality barely noticing or truly appreciating the people or things that really matter. I am no art critic but I do know nobody breezes through an art exhibition. Art lovers stand over a painting or sculpture, evaluate the project and try to understand the mind of the artist while creating the object.

Picture Credit:www.perkincentre.org

Even if the art looks dismal and uninteresting all artistic persons know there is a purpose behind every creative art and exhibit. That is why a visitor to an exhibit will pause and observe a display in order  to enjoy the creativity of the artist and resulting creation. Without this evaluation and deep scrutiny the effort is simply "waka pass". It leaves the observer with no lasting impression or lingering essence. In all, the experience is a blur, a simple waste of time without proper understanding or relevant benefits.

Have you ever given up on a person or project only to wish you'd given it a bit more time. I have and so have a lot of people. I have missed out on great opportunities due to impatience and I've formed great relationships that seemed contrary at the beginning but turned out amazing simply because I stopped to enjoy these people and not breeze through them.
I love the way cooks on food channels taste food. They not only taste the food, they savour and relish the food like its the best thing after Jesus.

My son loves flowers and was in his elements during the summer months. He'd stop and admire the fields with their burst of flowers and array of colours. Many times he'd suddenly stop in his tracks and pick some not minding if I was in a hurry or not. when my crazy rants couldn't get him to walk any faster when we strolled  past a particularly beautiful flower, I stopped to see what had grabbed his attention. In that moment, I realised that the flower was not only beautiful but smelt nice too and I was captivated.
As brief as Jesus' ministry was on earth, he knew how to slow down and impact the lives of those that came within his sphere. The bible is filled with instances of the occasions that Jesus noticed, stopped and consciously made a difference in the life of a person. There was no rushing Jesus.
Life is beautiful and its only when we slow down and appreciate the various moments that slide past us that we've truly lived. Then you'd notice that your cranky boss is actually going through a divorce or that errant little child just needs extra attention. A wise person once said its not the number of years a person has lived that matters but the number of lives in the years that really counts. Create moments! Live moments! Life will be a blur until we slow down and smell the flowers.