Hurrying Up & Slowing Down ... Both Need Space in Our Days

  Image courtesy of [Vlado] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A few weeks ago a friend emailed me a link to  "The Day I Stopped Saying 'Hurry Up'" by Rachel Macy Stafford. Shortly after receiving the e-mail, Stafford's blog post began popping up in the social media outlets, being shared by people everywhere. Obviously, it struck a chord. It certainly did with me. I'm always harassing my daughters to "Get a Move On," spouting "Later, We Don't Have Time Because We'll Be Late," and "Chop Chop, Lemon Drops." These phrases make up a significant portion of my communication with my peeps. Guilty.

After reading Stafford's blog, I vowed to try eliminating those time-stamped statements from my vocab. And I have gotten better. Correction. I've gotten better about not hurrying situations when it truly doesn't matter. But I continued to think about the post because something about it itched me. While the post has a message that needs to be heard, it's also grounded in mostly in Ideal Reality. Because in Real Reality, sometimes time matters. Being on time to a job, a  party, a dinner date, a meeting or a doctor's appointment matters. Being aware of time and being on time are matters of respect, and they are life skills that everyone needs to learn. Are there exceptions? Certainly.

But increasingly, it has become almost socially acceptable to be late and expect the waiting party to deal with it. And because so many adults show blatant disregard for others time,  we're raising a generation of kids who don't think its important to be on time for anything. Stafford used one phrase that really hit the nail on the head: "... over committed schedule ... ." You are the only person in control of your schedule. Your overscheduled life shouldn't become someone else's problem, and it's not a valid excuse for being late.

There has to be some balance between helping kids enjoy life and teaching them importance of being on time, regardless of who they are meeting or what they are doing.

Sometimes kids (and adults) need to hear "Hurry up!"

And on that note, I'm going to go enjoy "Cars 2" with the peeps because it's Sunday night, it's blazing hot and we are maxin' and relaxin'. No hurrying up in here tonight.

Wherever you , whatever you're doing ... Keep It Real.