Monday, November 1, 2010

Slow Down

One of my favorite songs is Simon & Garfunkel's 59th Street Bridge Song. I'm including a video of it being peformed for your reference:


We live in a world of too many demands and too little time. I think we could all take the advice to "slow down" more often than we do. I'm not talking about lazing around, but taking time to be quiet and still and allow God to speak to us. It is so important and also a pleasure. President Uchtdorf talked on this topic in conference. His talk can be found here

"Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives.

It is said that any virtue when taken to an extreme can become a vice. Overscheduling our days would certainly qualify for this. There comes a point where milestones can become millstones and ambitions, albatrosses around our necks.

The wise understand. They resist the temptation to get caught up in the frantic rush of everyday life. They follow the advice “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” In short, they focus on the things that matter most."

You should read the whole talk. Its terrific.

7 comments:

Eileen Young said...

Thanks for your blog - very timely - we all need to look at ourselves & SLOW DOWN - in the end we will travel farther. President Uchtdorf has traveled farther than most people so is qualified to give us this advice.I also liked the song.
Grannie

C.J. Schneider said...

My favorite lines from this song are:
"Let the morning time drop all its petals on me.
Life, I love you, All is groovy."

Groovy post Ian.

mrpuente said...

I love this post. Thanks Ian!

Coleen said...

So after Grannie's comment to eat slow food and this post I guess I'm getting the message to stay out of airports :)
Feelin Groovy was my absolute fave in junior high and Elder Uchtdorf's talk my favorite in conference...

Grampa said...

This is great, but what about Pres. Kimball's injunction to lengthen our stride - we were not doing enough. I see a bit of a conflict here. Can a first counselor override a prophet?

mrpuente said...

OJ, there is a bumper sticker I saw recently that said "Jesus Is Coming...Look Busy". I don't think there is any conflict here. We need to do all things "in wisdom and order". We can't perform at our best without times of quiet reflection and rest.

LiNds said...

Wasn't President Kimball also counseling church members in the 70's and 80's? President Uchtdorf is currently presiding.