I always go by my everyday tasks in a rush. I’m always eager to do the next mundane chore on my never-ending list. I kept rushing through life, and now I’m realizing that I’ve missed out on so many things.

I used to hate being caught in traffic; I needed to get somewhere and I needed to get there quick! But now, I enjoy the moment. I sit back and reflect on my day, I listen to an audio book, or I get to know the people I am in the car with. I’m learning to dance slow…. I’m learning to live!

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids
on a merry-go-round
Or listened to the rain
slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last

Do you run through each day on the fly
When you ask “How are you?”
do you hear the reply?

When the day is done,
do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
running through your head?

You’d better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last

Ever told your child,
We’ll do it tomorrow
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
‘Cause you never had time
to call and say “Hi”?

You’d better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift….
Thrown away…

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

- David L. Weatherford