addicted to hurry

way back in my first post, i described the meaning of "in the fast lane going slow" and my attempt at being intentional about slowing life down.

it seems i'm not the only one that struggles with this fast-paced life. i recently picked up a book on my bookshelf called Addicted to Hurry: Spiritual Strategies for Slowing Down. the book actually belongs to a friend of mine and has been sitting there unread for years. but the time has finally come for me to read it!

i've just gotten through the introduction and a few pages of the first chapter and i am fired up!!! it will be a challenge in and of itself not to rush through the reading of this book.

here are a few amazing tidbits from just the little bit i've read so far.

"hurry is not just a part of life, hurry is life. when hurry becomes a chronic condition, when we run even when there is no reason to, when we rush while performing the most mundane tasks, it may be said that we have become addicted to hurry."

"chronic hurry is a serious malady of mind, heart and soul, putting at risk relationship with God, each other and ourselves."

"beating hurry addiction is more than a matter of merely slowing down. a viable alternative to hurry must yield joys and fulfillments that rival those of hurry."

"envision an achievable alternative to hurry: cultivating your own sacred, savoring pace...savoring pace is about taking the time to notice more. while we cannot notice everything, believing that everything is worth noticing can dynamically enrich life."

can i get an amen here?

the book also gives a brief list of some of the more common phrases in our language that have to do with hurry. they are:

i am going as fast as i can
speedy recovery
hurry up
mad dash
get a move on
ASAP
the sooner, the better
step on it
shake a leg
get cracking
i've got to run
i don't have much time
wait a minute
just a second
right away
how soon can i expect it?
running late
running scared
run down
running out of time
grab a bite
on the run
it'll only take a minute

...and i'm sure you can think of even more.

i'm not saying (and neither is the book) that speed isn't necessary and doesn't have it's place. but where it's not required, i can work on slowing down.

i'm going to investigate my hurriedness. would you like to embark on an experiment with me? for one day, let's see how many times we verbalize our hurriedness and/or become impatient in different situations.

the results could be shocking.