LINGER

I am always in a rush, and it seems that there are never enough hours in the day to do all of the things I want to do. It makes me wonder if I am disorganized, over-committed or delusional about my own capabilities!

At any rate, I’ve decided I’m going to take a little time each day to linger. That may mean going out onto the deck and watching the sunset rather than stealing glances through the window as I fix dinner or start another load of laundry. It might mean having lunch with a friend and not being in a hurry to get away as soon as the bill comes. I might even try slowing down and spending a few moments to soak up the scenery rather than trying to burn off a week’s work of calories when I go on a hike.

When we’re healthy and we think we have a lot of life ahead of us, it’s easy to squander opportunities to stop, absorb and appreciate where we are and who we’re with at any given moment. I don’t want to become morbid or fatalistic, but I do want to shift away from always being so intensely focused on completing the next task. I don’t want to come to the end of my life with the feeling that I’ve rushed through it without appreciating the exquisite beauty that was available to me every single day – if I had just slowed down for a minute and paid attention. If this busy, busy, busy behavior is familiar to you, I’d like to invite you to join me in making a commitment to intentionally dawdle, dally and linger for a few minutes each and every day.