There is a sense of urgency in our society. The need to get somewhere quickly. Needing to have supper by a certain time so everyone can head off in different directions to do things that are urgent. One only has to watch drivers during rush hour in any city in America to see people almost frantic with their urgent need to be somewhere and traffic is messing up their entire day. Rushing kids to school, running through an airport, scrambling to get the lesson finished or changing how you eat to be healthier or thinner or because that is how your friend cooks. There is even a sense of urgency about the way we play. There are some that want to do it all. Just look at the number of extreme sports and the increasing number of participants in them.
I often wonder if they were this frantic 100 years ago.
Of course, there are things in life that require urgency. Hurt people need tending. Crops need to be harvested before rain moves in. Babies will not wait to be born. These, and other events must be treated with urgency. But...most of the urgency in our lives could be avoided with more planning. Or in my case, paying better attention to what I'm doing in the first place.
I have almost reached a point in my life where I can honestly say I don't get excited unless someone is bleeding not breathing or floating down the river when they shouldn't be. There just isn't that much that gets me too excited anymore. I suppose that comes with age. I just can't worry about the little things anymore. It's too exhausting.
When I travel, I have my bag packed a week before my travel day. It helps me remember everything, saving me from purchasing needed items with travel money. I have all the clothes I want in the suitcase. This eliminates the need to do laundry two days before I leave so all my clothes can dry on racks since I don't use the dryer for my clothes. I don't have to pack dirty or wet clothes. My cosmetic bag or carry on bag sits on my bathroom counter filled with everything I will need and is available for me to put in last minute items... I realize this habit makes many think I am a little OCD about my packing habits. Not so. It prevents the urgency and anxiety of packing at the last moment.
Proper planning removes the urgency of what to cook for supper. I'm very lucky here because Him cooks as much or more than I do and will eat anything as long as it fills the hole. He will eat popcorn for supper, so there is no urgency for me in that regard.
We should slow down. Enjoy the quiet times of life. Planning will certainly help, but not feeling the need to do it all, for everyone, the instant they want it will help considerably. Being in a constant state of urgency is stressful both physically and emotionally. I tried to give it up some years ago. Some days I even succeed.
Is your life full of urgency?
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