Life moves at break-neck speed. Are we built for speed, pressure, stress of this magnitude?
My Amish Rocking Chair
I answered “Yes!” until hearing impairment garbled the sounds, muted the music, confused conversations, and made solitary moments my preferable times of day. I chose slowness over speed, ease over pressure, peace over stress – an end to the vocation of active ministry with a loving congregation.
“How’s retirement?”
Life is slower. I share the quiet with Kay and our canine friend Barclay. I write a lot, which was my intention as the hearing loss progressed.
Still, I’m addicted to speed. Between my MacBook Air and iMac, I’m still dependent on speed – the speed of the internet. The speed of instantaneous communication. The speed of news makes my head ache. I can’t keep up. The pressure builds in my head. My heart gets heavy. Not a good thing, I think, for a privileged person who chose solitude over crowds, silence over confusion, low-pressure and low-stress over high-pressure and high-stress.
Slowing life down is a spiritual thing. The Amish rocking chair in our living room reminds me of the virtue of spiritual simplicity. But I rarely sit in it. I rarely sit and rock without my MacBook Air. The speed, pressure, and stress are in my head or, as the Hebrew ancients would say, in my heart. My heart and head don’t easily un-learn what they’ve been taught. But it seems now that un-learning, not learning, is the privilege and task of solitude.
“Barclay, want to go up and take a nap with Dad?” Barclay races up the stairs and takes his place at the foot of the bed. If I’m late with the invitation, he comes to get me for our intimate hour with no speed, no pressure, no stress – and no MacBook Air!
- Gordon C. Stewart, Chaska, MN, February 5, 2016.
Views from the Edge 
Yes, and yes. I was never built for speed; details have been my strong point; which is why I now have over 22,200 unopened emails in my inbox. I can’t stop reading and writing (and posting) based on my emails. I wasn’t supposed to be doing this, I was supposed to be zapping through my emails and deleting most. Oh, my, I must keep trying. Life must go on — at speed *and* slowly.
LikeLike
I have another post coming on falling over the gas hose at the filling station because my legs were so tired from working out at the gym – AGAINST my will – to keep Kay confident about my long-term viability. Too many emails in my inbox, too! But NOT near 22,200! You win the booby prize!
LikeLike
I couldn’t agree more – life is way too fast. Naps fill my daydreams. I, too, have a wonderful chair just for reading in, but I rarely use it. Wish I were home napping right now!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Christina, you have a MILES TO GO before you nap! Catch them when you can.😀
LikeLike