Friday, October 27, 2006

On slowing down

SLOW DANCE

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?

When you ask "How are you?"
Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?

You'd better slow down

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
"We'll do it tomorrow?"
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say,"Hi"?

You'd better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.

Life is not a race.

Do take it slower

Hear the music

Before the song is over.


This poem was forwarded to me by a buddy of mine (thanks, IM!). She in turn got it from who knows where. :-) It was allegedly written by a teenager with cancer.

Well, the message of the poem rings true, doesn't it? It seems like the world is moving at a faster pace nowadays and many of us find ourselves having to run faster just to stay in the same place. The demands of work, family, other people -- the circumstances of life in general -- can be harrowing. Sometimes it seems that we've forgotten how to pause, take a deep breath, smile, and just slow down. In our determination not to allow life to pass us by, it seems we're letting it do just that.

Fly here! Run there! Move faster! Life's theme these days seems to revolve around hurrying and acting fast. Sure, quickies are good, but taking it slow...man, that's so sweet. Dancing energetically is a great way to pass the time, but then, so is being held in someone's arms and holding him in yours as you dance slowly...just savoring the here-and-now.



Take the time to dance slowly more often. In other words...chill, dude.

23 comments:

Ph said...

"I take the time to dance slowly more often in other .... world !" Far from of you but near by the net !
gratefully for your blog !
Ph

mist1 said...

I take everything slowly. Then I take a nap.

Merritt Fields said...

That line about telling your child "tomorrow" really hit home with me. Sometimes I just need to stop folding laundry and play Candyland.

thethinker said...

Very wise words.

Anonymous said...

hi lizza! I live by that mantra...chill..dude..put your feet up, pour yourself a glass of ice cold beer...just chill...there's time to party and there's time to chill.(time to booty dance & time to slow dance...)

houseband00 said...

Of course, there should be a "Lake House" hangover. =)

Digressing...

Slowing down gives us time for discovery - finding and getting inspiration. It also frees us and brings our subconscious thoughts and feelings to the surface.

And Lizza, can I also have a beer? =)

Nm, play that Milton N CD of yours.

Darn, I love Fridays!

Meowkaat said...

Yea for slowness! I'm all over that.

Anonymous said...

Try living in our town for a while and you'll know the true meaning of "taking your time." Everything here is done in sloooww moootiooon!

I'm exaggerating, of course... or am I! :>


D12

Anonymous said...

Nice blog, btw. In fact, one of your bestest! :>

D12

Anonymous said...

I doubt it would still be a dance once we clutch and hold each other closely leaving no gap...
I've read this before and it's just so true... we tend to want instant this and instant that and if possible even instant humans
Slowing and stopping for a while does a lot of good, both physically and mentally...
When will we get back to basics of walking and not running faster

Odat said...

So nice and so true...wish I had that one for my Happy Dance Friday post....
I need to be reminded to slow down....(I think my being sick this week is doing just that)....
Peace

Lizza said...

Philippe: Hello. It's nice to know that you're taking the time to dance more slowly. Thank you for stopping by.

mist1: Haha, you would! ;-)

aisby: I've been guilty of the same thing. Stuff the laundry! Playing in Candyland is much more fun.

thinker: Thanks! You have words of wisdom on your blog as well.

NM: Hellooo! Yep, it's a good motto to remember once in a while. And you do seem like the type of person who likes to chiiiiill. :-)

HB: I wish I had the regular type of hangover. Here, relax and have a beer on me. I can't enjoy the damn thing anyway because my sense of taste is shot.

meowkaat: Hey! It's nice to know that you are. :-)

D12: Thank you! Okay, the gang and I will take you up on your offer and see for ourselves just how sloooow it can be there. But bring us to Pearl Farm ha! :-D

zeroimpact: Still, it's a lovely way to dance. Regarding the idea instant humans, I don't like that thought either. Thanks for the lovely comment, ZI.

odat: I guess getting yourself to slow down is the silver lining in your particular cloud this week. I hope you get well soon!

Schmoop said...

You are sooo right Lizza...And here is a warning for all from Will Rogers:

Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save. ~Will Rogers, Autobiography, 1949

Cheers

Emma said...

Hey. Saw your site around, and I gotta say… I love! I’m so linking it.

Sony said...

Sage advice that we all seem to give but never seem to take.

This was a nice post.

Anonymous said...

Luckily I'm sort of a slow person by nature. Of course, the cats always help me keep it slow! Nice poem, lizza.

Prometheus said...

Prometheus is just taking in this post. He won't comment yet.

He's reading.

Still reading.

He's now on line three.

He will comment when he's done reading.

The WV says yzzzay. Prometheus suspects Google has a member of an advanced species handing out the WV.

Michael C said...

So, so true!!! Especially when one ends up spending so much of his free time blogging! Boy does that poem hit home!
;-)

Irene said...

But I'd much rather disco-dance, Lizza Lovely! :p

H said...

That's true. My angel tried to tell me that. again and again and again.

till finally he gave up and flew away.

Now she sits with her head in her hands. try to hold on to time. dragging her heels trying to stop it. But it won't. slow. down.

Lizza said...

Matt: Great quote, thanks.

Emma: Thank you. You're a pretty active teenager, I must say. And a smart one too!

Sony: Thanks! Crappy thing that we all do, eh?

inamini: You? Slow? It seems like you're always busy with something. Zipping around in that MINI of yours. :-)

Prometheus: You done yet? It's good news for you if Google does have an alien here. Another language for you to learn!

Michael: No, no, blogging does not count. :-)

Irene: Haha, you're a dancing queen!

H: Lovely. Maybe you need another kind of song in your head. Something slow, something that will put the monster to sleep.

H said...

So true Lizza. SO true. seeking that song.

Lizza said...

H, you'll find it! Or you can make one up.