Hurry!

July 13, 2009

I'm not the country music fan in my house. (Jason fills those cowboy boots in our house. Anyone who knows him knows I mean that figuratively!) But lately I've had the lyrics to a country song by the supergroup Alabama in my head. It doesn't matter what else I listen to or think about, that song somehow breaks back in to my thoughts over and over. I figured I might as well blog about it. Maybe it'll be cathartic.

So, here you go:

"I'm in a hurry to get things done
Oh, I rush and rush until life's no fun
All I really gotta do is live and die
But, I'm in a hurry and don't know why."

Perhaps these words are haunting me because they are the story of my life lately. Even at the beach, I was rushing around, trying to get the kids to finish eating, trying to hurry up at the mall, and just not slowing down and enjoying life enough.

The old lady who pulled out in front of me today? "Too slow, Granny! Get the lead out!" Where was I going? Wal-Mart, where I didn't really want to go anyhow. I wasn't even in any particular hurry to get there. I just didn't want to be slowed down by her.

I can't tell you how many times a day I use the words "hurry up." I imagine they make up a large percentage of my daily vocabulary usage. (I read too many bottles of vitamins today at Wal-Mart for the boy who had a low iron count at the pediatrician last week...) "Luke, hurry up and put your shoes on. Emma, hurry up and finish your breakfast. It's nearly lunchtime."

But here's the kicker: I don't like to be hurried. In fact, I hate it. I get anxious and antsy and nervous and ill as a hornet--all at one time. I have also developed this irritating tendency to wait until the VERY last minute to leave the house to be somewhere else. I was never late when I was younger, but now I'm the last one to get anywhere ALWAYS. I'd blame it on the kids, but it often happens when they aren't with me.

I guess I'm posting this as a reminder to myself. I need to stop pushing everybody else along through life and take the time to look around me and enjoy the scenery a little more. It's not all about me. I've got to make better use of the time our Heavenly Father has allotted me and not make everyone else's allotted time miserable because I didn't utilize my time right.

Ouch.

Anybody want to be my accountability buddy on this? Am I the only one who can't seem to get it all together? (If you read all the way to the end of this crazy, rambling post, please give yourself a pat on the back or an ice cream cone or something!)