Hurry Sickness

You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.

Oh yes, I am familiar with this disease. I certainly have it. Just last week I was writing about hurrying from event to event, impatiently of course, either so I could enjoy it or get past it.

Chapter 5 is about slowing down. And I’m guilty of speeding things up.

I eat while standing up, multi-tasking no less. That’s when I am at home, faced with a multitude of tasks to get done before the forces return home.

I don’t always get it wrong. If a work a full 8-hour day, I take a full hour lunch. I walk as quickly as I can to my destination of choice and read. In fact, I eat as quickly as I can so that I can read two-handed. There is nothing better than finishing my meal and having 30 minutes left to leisurely read my book. (Wait a second! I inhale the meal I just spent all that money on?) And my favorite part is walking back to work as slowly as possible while continuing to read - reading all the way to my desk.

So obviously some occupations are worthy of time and others aren’t. I need to make sure to stop, sit and eat at home as well. And read! That is a worthy endeavor at least for a librarian.

In the book, there are suggestions for forcing yourself to slow down. Notes in the margin suggest that these suggestions are ridiculous. I take offense. I actually employ some of these tactics. Picking a line at the checkout and sticking with it even if it is moving terribly slowly. Practicing patience. Training for patience even. Driving in the slow lane and refusing to pass. I don’t know why I do it. I mean, is there a good reason? Am I refusing to hurry?

I leave for school to pick up the girls with plenty of extra time to spare. I like to get my special parking space. And I like to – you guessed it – read. Am I rushing to get there early? Or am I taking my time to have time? You tell me.

There are so many things to be done and so little time. How do I change that to “I have plenty of time to do the things that I want to be done?”

I keep talking about hiring an administrative assistant to organize my schedule so that I give attention to the things I love and enjoy and what to take time to do while ensuring that the things that must get done – laundry, dishes, homework – are not neglected. Someone who can look at my schedule and say, you can do this and this, but you’re going to have to choose between these two things because you cannot do both.

I have a sign to make. It is due by next Tuesday. It is going to take my artistic abilities. And I want to start and finish it at one sitting keeping in mind that parts of it will have to dry before continuing on.

I have a storybook to make that MUST be done by mid-December, but it would be useful to have it done soon for practice purposes. Can a make a prop to stand in until the finished product is ready? Does that mean I’m doing twice the work? Can the mock-up turn into the finished product? Or might it get ruined in the time being?

I have a start to make that is due at the same time as the storybook. I’m worried that I will forget it because it will take less time and attention.

I have a backdrop to paint. I have three days this month to work on it and get it done. I’m looking forward to it. I have the idea in my mind of what I’m working towards. I will be anxious until it is done. And I know it’s not time yet, but I’d be so much more relaxed if it was.

I forgot, I have to make windows out of cork board by next week. Ugh. Not really excited about it. And I’ll work on it on site. If it gets done it gets done. If it doesn’t, I’m fired.

I have a project I’m working on for a friend. There just isn’t time. I’m hoping she wasn’t in a hurry to get it because it is the Holiday Season and I’m thinking it should wait for the New Year …

Am I forgetting something? I’m sure I am. And that causes anxiety. Oh yeah! All those things that I want to do for ME. When do I fit those in? If I hurry through all the tasks, do I finally get to enjoy what gives me joy?

And I’m looking at my clock here and I see my time is up. It’s time to wake the girls and actually start my day. BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ! Off to hurry.

And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done,

and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

Genesis 2:2 (ESV)

(Um yeah, I think I actually work harder on the seventh day.)