By Rick Moore
Aesop’s fable “The Tortoise and The Hare,” ends with this advice: “Don’t brag about your lightning pace, for SLOW and STEADY won the race!” Going slower to get somewhere quicker, sounds contradictory, but it’s works. When is the last time you took a bike ride? A walk in the park? A stroll along the beach? South Walton is known for it’s many bike paths, hiking trails, and stunning scenic views. If you live in paradise, enjoy it! If you don’t own a kayak you can rent one. The same is true for bicycles. You will see things when you go slow you never recognize zooming by in your automobile. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters.” Many of us memorized these words from the 23rd Psalm as young children. But between those childhood moments when we lay on our back, stare into the clouds and imagine, and the time we reach the golden years, it seems there is little time spent in green pastures or by still waters.
There was a time I used to brag about how busy I was. How I hadn’t had a day off in weeks. How I only had a couple hours of sleep. I treated it like a badge of honor. No one was forcing me to work so many hours, but there were dozens of factors driving me faster and faster until the day I found myself in the hospital needing back surgery. Something had to give. We must pace ourselves if we want to be healthy and productive. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Most people have their “Aha Moments” in life when they are rested. Whether you slow down and smell the coffee or slow down and smell the roses, slow down. Take it easy. If you find yourself running in circles, stop working harder and start working smarter. Nothing stops my mind from racing like the sound of the waves and the breeze blowing from the Gulf. I call it my “Brain Drain” time. It takes a few minutes to drain my brain from the “to do” lists, the hypotheticals and the constant rehearsal of what I should say in tomorrow’s meeting. Our destiny is much more than just our destination. It’s about the journey and the people we enjoy life’s adventures with. Sometimes we need to be alone, and sometimes it is nice to have a friend to journey with us. We learn much more about each other during a walk or bike ride than we do watching TV together. How about stealing some time away for those who matter the most. Love is spelled with four simple letters: T-I-M-E. When many think of the Emerald Coast they think of the sea turtle. The paper you are reading right now has a turtle as part of its logo. We work hard to protect turtles, but we are slow to learn from them. Many of these turtles swim over 10,000 miles a year. Some turtles have been known to travel 2,500 miles in one swim. I’m sorry, was someone just bragging about a 5K run? SLOW and STEADY always wins the race.
Rick Moore is communications pastor at Destiny Worship Center in Miramar Beach.
Author: SWal Life
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