Whats a reasonable pace for walking the mountains? Ours is invariably one-and-a-half miles per hour for the total walk. That’s a 40-minute mile which is a snail’s pace by anyone’s standard. In trying to justify the time to ourselves, we note that a lunch is included and maybe doing a reading or two and, at our ages, we make a lot of pauses to catch our breath when walking uphill at 9,000 feet. But, in thinking about it, we realized there are other stops we are making that really are essential to enjoy the experience. Rushing from bottom to top and back might achieve a goal, but it would be far less enjoyable than taking the time to absorb the beauty along the way. In thinking about these impromptu stops, we realized they contain lessons for life that may be useful.
See the beauty
Wild flowers are a case in point. On mountain trails, they are small and easy to miss, especially when you’re rushing pell-mell to the destination point. If you’re looking for them and pause for a lingering moment, they provide delicate touches of beauty in what can be a stark setting.
They’re something like the touches of spiritual beauty we see as our children develop in Christ. All too often, the hurly burly takes over and we fail to notice, or if we notice, fail to comment on, a beautiful word of compassion, act of self-denial or act of true dedication. Take time to notice, for these are touches of beauty in the stark world in which we live.
Kindness takes time
The mountain jay is another example. He has learned that slow-moving humans often have food with them and he’ll be quick to land on a nearby branch. Sometimes his arrival is poorly timed and giving him a handout means stopping for several minutes as we become a human feeding station.
Yet a little kindness always takes time. Whether it’s a word, a helping hand, a comforting card or a thoughtful gift, it always interferes with our rush to a goal. They may interfere with the rush of life, but such touches of kindness greatly add to the enjoyment of life by both the giver and the receiver.
The impromptu moment
Then there are the unexpected opportunities. If we are rushing along, we either go right past or scare away the joy that could be experienced. While the goal dominates the day, it has become our invariable practice to go slowly when cresting a ridge or entering a meadow so as not to disturb the creatures that may be there. And a long pause is often demanded by the deer that have just noticed the intruder, the majestic elk that are looking in alarm or even a rabbit that is crouched on the trail.
In life, memorable opportunities often present themselves just as we are rushing to some goal. It may be a person with a problem who simply needs someone to talk to or it could be someone who loves us and just needs time to show it. If we are going too fast, we can go right past the opportunity to serve or we shut off the loving gesture.
Just like a walk on the trail, life can be a lot more enjoyable if we don’t rush through it too fast.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One