Why the Rush and Hurry?

Rev. Jeffrey Symynkywicz, December 1, 2002

Why do we rush through life in such a hurry,
as though the best one among us
would be first to finish the race, and the
only way toward a fulfilled life
means ticking off all the items
on our things-to-do-today list,
then falling into bed
too exhausted to sleep?

It is such a vain and shallow way
to approach life! Things get done, sure;
but how much sweetness is missed
in the rush to turn bitter?
How many burgeoning flowers are ignored
looking for the right pen to use
to record our ignorance?

Let me tell you a secret you already know:
You don’t have to get it all done
for life to be worth it-- it is!
In each moment, there is glory enough
to fill a thousand pages with heroic narrative.
And even more than that:
there is enough there inside of you
to fill your heart with love,
and fill your days with joy.

Life is not redeemed in filling every hour,
but in doing the task before us
mindfully, and joyfully, with full engagement
of heart and mind and body.
It is greeting each flower as a long-lost friend,
and every friend as an emperor of the soul;
it is in kissing the sweet lips of life,
and seeing, for a glimpse, the spirit’s halo
hovering just above us.

jbs
10/24/00 - 12/01/02

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