Slow down and smell the coffee!

Our message in Church last week was a good one. The pastor gave us some advice that I have already listened to and followed faithfully for some time now. Slow down and do not be in such a hurry to do everything. Do not overload your schedule and make your life more hectic than it needs to be!

How often do you ask somebody how they are doing or what they have been up to lately? What is the common most often response that you get? Oh we are so busy right now. We just got back from vacation and the kids are in several sports, cub scouts, dance, plays. Husband or wife are working a ridiculous amount of hours at their job. All kinds of projects going on around the house. Helping a sick friend, neighbor, or family member. Just not enough time in a day!! We are getting ready to get even more busy in the upcoming season.

You all have heard some of these examples before I am sure. What I am going to do from now on when somebody asks me what I have been up to or hows it going. I will be completely honest and answer something like this- Damn it, I can not remember the last time I put 40 hours in. I am either sleeping in and getting to work late or I leave early every Friday to get the weekend started early. I was just on vacation the other week and did not do Jack Squat. We went to Ruby Tuesdays for dinner one night and that was as far away from my couch and TV that I got all week. I do not do anything around the house except watch sports, movies, or get on the internet. I do tend to sleep 10-12 hours when the kids let me. If you do not believe me, just ask my wife and she will confirm it. My one daughter has a 1/2 hour piano lesson once a week and the other plays T-Ball in the spring but that is about all they do other than watch TV, Movies, play video games, or get on the computer.

Sometimes you really do need to slow down and smell the flowers, coffee, or cow manure if your in our backyard when they are spreading the fields.

I may have stretched the truth a little bit when telling this story, but I am being very honest when I say that some of my favorite moments in life is when their is nothing planned what so ever and my wife and kids say- we are bored, what are we going to do? I usually respond- lets just enjoy each others company, sit for a while and we can talk or play a game of checkers? Oh yeah-and go get daddy another beer.

E.H