One day on the way to work, I made a conscious effort to slow down. I normally spend my commute scanning the highway looking for the best and fastest way to get to work. It’s not because I’m late, because I head in an hour early. It’s because I am always focused on the next task. And in the morning the task is to get to work and a jump start on my day.

This particular day, I made a mental note to not to rush. I realized that by slowing down I was given a moment to rest.

A moment of rest that…

…gave rest to my thoughts
…let me feel my heart beat slower
…felt my face relax
…gave me a chance to smile
…reminded me that life is not a race

Now the impulse to slow down didn’t last. And I had to remind myself to slow down many times during that commute. And it was more than a slowing down of speed. It was a slowing down of the pace I was setting for the day.

I still got to work. Maybe a minute or two later. Those 2 minutes didn’t cost me productivity for the day.

Instead…

…it relaxed me
…put my day in perspective
…allowed me to see the vast landscape in front of me
…let me feel the warm breeze as I stepped out my car
…and gave me a chance to embrace a new and pretty day

Later in the week while sitting in my sunroom I watched this cardinal as it flew to a bench that perched just long enough for me to capture a picture.

Then a few seconds later it flitted to a new spot.

After a few times of resting, and moving, it flew off. It reminded that sometimes just a moment, a conscious decision to take a breath, is a moment of rest.

Exodus 33:14 “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. 

Seeking the presence of God, in the moments, to find rest, on the Journey, Jackie