Some of the worse mistakes I have made in life have happened when I was, in the words of my new favorite author, Anne Lamott, “carrying too much and going too fast.”
PRACTICE: Describe your too much and too fast.
My mistakes have resulted in trips to the ER, financial and emotional damage to myself and to others. When I am carrying TOO MUCH and MOVING TOO FAST, I am unable to be the executor or the recipient of a primary function I have here on earth – to be a gentle, refreshing breeze in the hot, humid, and stormy life of others. Moving and carrying too much, too fast, leads to my being consumed with my pace and my load and the exclusion of others.
My morning walks or deck sitting validate this theory. Inevitably the heat and humidity become too much for me and I am ready to throw in the towel. When the “too much” happens, Mother Nature will often send a gentle cooling breeze to wash over my body and I am able to hang out for a bit longer. A common mistake in relationships is missing the opportunity to be “mother nature” in the lives of others. If I am weighted down with my stuff and moving at breakneck speed, I might miss the cue that the heat is about to drive the other to give up. Likewise, if I am carrying too much, too fast, I might miss the cool gentle breezes being blown into my situation.
The cool thing about these breezes is that the energy behind them seem effortless. They come without the fanfare of storm clouds. They are not rushed. They don’t slow my pace and often allow me to regain some of the momentum I lost due to the heat and exhaustion. I would like to think that the breeze is for me and my comfort only. Not so. It is for everything that it touches around me. Being the cool breeze in another’s situation can be the same – not disruptive or intrusive – not rushed as if it is an obligation rather than a privilege – not encumbering the recipient with additional weight. And as you do this for the environment of one, the grand opportunity to do so for all the souls around that one is presented. Our soft gentle breezes of encouragement, caring, and loving leads to a ripple effect far beyond our imagination.
The cure for CARRYING TOO MUCH AND MOVING TOO FAST is simple, lighten the load and slow down.
Galatians 6:10
PONDER THIS THOUGHT--- Got a minute? Goggle and read the lyrics to “He ain’t heavy, He’s my brother.”
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