A group of girlfriends and I were discussing the other day how busy our evenings are for moms. There are dinners to make, children and husbands to please, babies to bathe, get dressed, read before bed, and then bed time. Then we began to consider that–well–the whole day is crazy busy. A friend of mine on Facebook the other day–a mother of three children–was trying to figure out how she and her husband can actually spend time together because their family is so busy they are always rushing to and fro. My friend owns her own business, her husband has a full time job, and each child has one activity she does.
If Americans do anything really well, it is how to stay busy from the moment one gets up until sleep. The minutes in between in a typical day are literally filled with activities. Most of my girlfriends are all stay at home moms and they complain about how busy it gets so that it feels like they don’t have a chance to breathe. All of this busyness cannot be good for the soul.
About two months ago I signed up for a yoga class that I attend twice a week. The class is 1 1/2 hours of pure chill out time. It is so difficult for me to take this time out of my incredibly busy life to learn how to relax. And yet I am so glad after the time ends that I took it to be good to myself . . . and to my soul. Yoga has made me aware that even my prayer time is a hurried experience. One cannot rush in yoga. Well, you can but you will injure yourself. It made me begin to wonder, what does rushing in prayer do? Maybe nothing? Can one really have a relationship with someone when it is continuously rushed? Can one really hear God when it is a “helloGodhowareyouIamworriedpleaseanswermyprayers?”
What can we do in our families to decrease the busy? Heck, even my single friends are so booked they don’t have time to breathe. What can we do in our individual lives to relax the pace of life?
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