Slow Down

I am including a piece I wrote about twenty three years ago, but it is as meaningful today as it was back then.

The Mountains Will Always Be There

It was one of those days that you dread seeing, the pressure of the job was getting to me. The head office had started putting more and more pressure on me to get more and more done and I didn’t have the personnel to get it done. I started the day jumping down one of the shippers throats to get more done. He looked up at me, smiled and said, “Calm down sir, the mountains will always be there.”

The statement flew over my head, as I hustled about trying to get all my jobs done. The pressure just kept piling up, and I kept running around and getting more and more frustrated. The burden on my shoulders kept feeling heavier and heavier. When I finally got home and started reviewing the day’s activities, and planning the next day, I remembered that quote, “Calm down sir, the mountains will always be there.” I looked out over the fields behind my house, and saw those majestic peaks in the distance. The snow covers them all winter in a cloak of white splendor. In the spring the chilling wind whistles between the peaks. In the summer the baking sun basks those peaks in warmth and glory. In the fall they put on their coat of many colors for all to enjoy.

I realize then that no matter what is thrown at them, the freezing snow, the boiling sun, the beating wind, or even the blazing glory, they stay almost virtually unchanged. Yes it was then that I realized, “Calm down sir, the mountains will always be there.”

We live in a time where we seem to always be in a rush. Kids to friends, wife running on this errand or that, and ourselves running off in this direction for one reason and that direction for something else. Meetings, practice, school, events all seem to fill up our lives on a daily basis. We don't take time to smell the roses anymore.

I live in one of the most beautiful areas and people come here all the time for vacations and weekends away, yet even then they seem to always be in a rush, I'll be driving down the road and an out of state car will fly by me at what appears to be the speed of sound. We don't take the time to slow down and really see the beauty around us. When was the last time you noticed a real beautiful sunset, or even sunrise. After a snow storm, have you really taken the time to notice the snow clinging to the firs and pines, and the golden glow of the sunlight on them as it starts to break through the storm clouds? Life is a journey, for some of us it is a long journey, for others it is tragically short, but what we do with that journey is up to us. We have to make the most of it.

One thing our family does is try to have dinner together every night, some nights, yes, it is a hectic time filled with bickering kids, but at others it is a time that we talk and learn. We even say grace and be thankful for that which we are blessed to have, as you should.

So my wish for you today is to slow down smell the roses, and enjoy the beauty that surrounds you each and every day.