The things that slow life down and take away that hectic feeling

Every year that goes by seems to serve to speed up the passage of time. Lately I have observed that the hands on my watch seem to operate more like fan blades than clock hands. My days are so full of happy tasks to accomplish, and of course, there is simply not enough time to do them all. I love being busy and luckily am spared the awful torture of boredom.

My heart often goes out to those who contend with boredom. Those in prison who are isolated from others, those who are sick in bed with nothing but daytime t.v. to distract them, or even those who have no financial resources to start a desired project bear a difficult trial. I feel sorry for them.

Even though I am glad to have many good things to do, I feel keenly aware of the passage of time; that something is slipping away from me. What that something is, I am not entirely sure. Is that something my kids childhood? Is it lost opportunities to learn? Is it that I am simply growing older and mourning the reduction of future years?

I suspect that in reality I am not missing anything in my life. I am satisfied with my current balance. But I have come to appreciate a few activities that seem to slow down the passage of time. Yes, it seems to me that a few things seem to negate that surreal feeling of time slipping away unbidden. A few things that give a quiet and complete satisfaction in my life. These few things seem the hardest ones to prioritize in a day because they don't seem necessary in the same way that the bills and laundry and appointments seem necessary. These things are always willing to wait for you, and may wait your whole life if you never get to them. They won't scream or shout for your attention (like a dirty toilet when company is on their way), but when time is taken to do them anyway, they seem to add time, or at least hold it at bay for a moment.

Journal writing is one of these things that suspends time. Anybody who attempts to keep a journal can likely tell you of the costs and awards associated with committing to such an enterprise. Obviously, it is one more task taking your time. But I tell you, when I write in my journal, time seems to suspend. I learn more from the activities I am engaged in. I preserve some of those memories and lessons for the future. Reading back over past entries reminds me that I keep learning some of the same things over and over, and then some things I have thankfully moved past. Sometimes I am embarrassed by what I write, but I am able to understand myself better through my entries. Life doesn't force you to keep a journal, but you'll get more from life if you do. It is kind of like adding seasonings to your dinner. The meal was the same, but perhaps it was savored a bit more on the way down the pipe.

The next thing I have noticed that seems to slow down the clock is playing with my kids. I am like most moms who often turn down invitations to spend time with a child in favor of doing the dishes and laundry (these tasks never go away on their own). It is simply a fact of existence that these household chores need done. Sorry kids. But in those moments when I make the conscious choice to give 100% of my attention and play soccer with my son, or play cards with my daughter, or whatever it might be, a slow sweetness blankets that hour. The time couldn't have been better spent. A memory to hold on to forever; to put in the bank of a child's heart.

Exercise has a similar slowing effect on me as well. Of course, we all know that exercise is easy to dismiss for lack of time. But I am stubborn on inserting it into my schedule. Not that I don't often bump it out of the way if I am overly tired or particularly busy that day. But for the most part, I make myself do it. Every time I start a work out, I feel that it is a sacrifice. I simply don't have time to do it. But after the warm up, when I'm really getting into the groove, there is nothing I would rather be doing. Exercise forces my body to move closer to the speed of my mind. I think better when I exercise. It is like tuning a piano. The song plays out better after a tuning. My body feels healthier and more in tune with life when I exercise. Again, time seems to suspend in a way.

The last things of note that slow time down are probably the biggest ones for me. They are the meditative activities of prayer, scripture and gospel study, and pure meditation. I have read up on meditation a bit lately, not because I want to convert to some Eastern religion, but because I am interested in the history that meditation holds in health and spiritual practices over time. Meditation is as old as civilization. Most religions advocate some form of it. Myriad books have been written on the topic, and techniques vary as widely as their authors. But for me, the most useful meditation is what comes naturally when I read scriptures and pray over them, thinking deeply about what I am reading and about my life's connection to them. The world hangs motionless in space in these moments, and answers of ancient mysteries surround me like whispers. If I am very quiet, I can hear it. Everything makes sense. God, the creator of the world, also made time. Einstein discovered that if a body were to travel at the speed of light, time would stand still. Perhaps my spirit is traveling the speed of light in these moments.