rush

You won’t go out in a rush,
nor will you run away,
because the one going before you
is the LORD;
your rear guard is the God of Israel. – Isaiah 52:12 (CEB)

My enneagram is a 1, the perfectionist.  One of the attributes of this number is my relationship with time – I’m a slave to it. I’m often in a rush, and when I am, it’s usually because I didn’t allow enough “travel time” in my calendar.

This changed a little bit when I began to drive the speed limit.  I began to allow more time to get places since it was going to take me a little longer to get there.  As people passed me or cut in and out of traffic, I was thankful that I didn’t feel that rushed.  And when I should be rushed, because I’m late, I still have to fight the urge to go just a little faster.  I’ve described my at-the-speed-limit driving as one of my spiritual practices.

In the last few years, I’ve started to plan for travel time.  If it will take me 30 minutes to get between appointments, I don’t schedule them 30 minutes apart.  I take at least an hour to allow me to finish one thing and then travel without being frantic or late to the next.

When I’m in a rush, I can’t be present or mindful of what I’m doing or who I’m with.  Rushing doesn’t allow time for me to mentally finish one thing or prepare for the next.  I fit a lot in when I rush, but in reality, I’m missing a lot.

When I arrive and sit down, my spiritual director often begins with “We’re here.”

And I take a breath and close my eyes as she prays.

Sometimes we have to rush because there are urgent or an overwhelming number of things to attend to. But if nothing else, I can at least say to myself, “We’re here,” and take a deep breath.  Even in the midst of the rush, may you be able to do so as well.

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It’s Five Minute Friday!  Today’s prompt for the five-minute free write was “rush.”  Check out more reflections here.