The older we get, the more we are reminded to slow down and observe the world around us.
The older my kids get, the more I want them to slow down and stay young and inquisitive....the older my parents get, the more I want to spend time with them and soak up their wisdom and love. It doesn't feel that long ago that I was running through the corn fields in our home in Nebraska or walking the halls of Aurora High School.
As Gertrude Stein said, “We are always the same age inside.”
Yet... it's not. My kids are rapidly aging and growing up. Luke asks to drive every chance he gets, and he's not too bad. Will is such an independent little fella; I'm sure he could survive on his own if he had to! Jane is making huge strides and starting to read on her own. All small milestones for each child.
This week, I went for a trail run and noticed something I had missed many times.
Do you see it??
I have run here and run by this object so many times, but I've never actually seen it...
An old windmill...
Based on the forest's significant growth, one can only guess how long it has been there. It has been there a LONG TIME.
So why have I missed it for so long?
If you have been trail running, you must pay attention to what is in front of you, or you will trip and go down. You must be alert to all the obstacles on the path, rocks, tree limbs, roots, and critters. I think that is what I love about trail running. It is a mini-cure for my ADD!
But, this once, I looked up long enough and became tuned in enough to wonder about the structure near the path.
So I stopped running. I walked off the path and stood in wonder for a few moments looking at an ancient Windmill.
"When you get to my age, you'll measure your success in life by how many of the people you want to have love you actually do love you." -
Warren Buffet
I am trying to embrace more and more the importance of moments with those I love.
Time is short, and as the word of God in Ecclesiastes teaches:
11 So I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had [h]exerted, and behold, all was futility and striving after wind, and there was no benefit under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 2:11
So, what must I keep my eyes open to, and what matters the most...What must I be willing to strive after...
I must be willing to see the relationships and people in God's path before me.
See the "windmills" as I'm running through my day.
Jesus tells me in the book of Matthew to focus on eternal things....not what moths & rust will destroy (Matthew 6)
I will keep on living life and embracing the opportunities before me.
BUT
As I move forward, I must keep my eyes open to the little things—
I can take moments to play a board game instead of watching a football game.
Throw the football instead scroll social media.
Carve pumpkins instead of....well, you choose!
"We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing." – George Bernard Shaw
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