Taking it slow...

Being in a hurry. Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me. I cannot think of a single advantage I’ve ever gained from being in a hurry. But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing…. Through all that haste

- 1000 Gifts, Ann Voskamp -

I have always liked to be busy. I've always liked to live life at a fast pace. I have always thrived on a full diary and a busy schedule.

There's nothing like children to put a stop to that.

Babies make you go slow. They live life in their own slow-paced, steady schedule... feed, wake, sleep, feed, wake, sleep. Somehow, as a mother of a newborn, you are forced to adhere to this slow-paced, steady, rhythmic lifebeat. It is a necessary slowdown as your body recovers, your life adjusts. Goodness me, did Ava's arrival pull up a halting brake on my hectic, manic lifestyle...

And yet babies grow. They become adaptable. They sleep less, and you learn they can sleep anywhere. And slowly - slowly but surely - that rushing around, that hectic, fast-paced blur called life begins to creep in again.

So many people say "cherish these years; they go so quickly"... and I know I need to listen. I need to slow down my pace and be, appreciate, thank and enjoy. These little years will go by. Ava will be at nursery next year. I have one year... one year... at home with both my girlies. I will not gain a single advantage by being in a hurry "but a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of all the rushing."

So I'm going to try and slow down. Try and see the little things that all too often pass me by. Try and appreciate the beautiful gifts of God that he showers on me daily, that in my mad, hectic life, I too often miss.

Time to let go of "all that haste."