Highways and Byways

Charles Kuralt once said;

“Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything.”

In the past I thought this phrase was all about traveling. However, as time passes I like to view this phrase more as a metaphor about how our life is changing as a whole. Today I see the highway system as the way we chose to move throughout our day and lives. We race from morning to night multitasking almost every second of every day. By the time the week is up we can't remember what the week was like and we have missed out on many of the little pleasures we once had when life was, let’s say, a little slower.

I want to suggest to you that by slowing down and turning off some of the media we can experience a world of pleasure that we may be missing. Take some time today and turn off the cell phone, the TV, the computer, close the newspaper and open up your other senses to feel the wind on your skin, smell the flowers, and listen to birds sing. Best of all connect with someone you love. Take the time to communicate, I mean really communicate. This requires listening more than talking.

I often feel in life, less is more. It is never more apparent than when we slow down to smell the roses.

Stuart