Yesterday we had to get out of the house for a few hours so the power company could work on our breaker box. We grabbed doughnuts, went to the library, had coffee, and eventually ended up on an empty green turf after lunch. Courtney and I spent over an hour here doing nothing but watching Asher & Greylynn laugh — and *for the most part* without looking at our phones.
It was a fun day but what made it special was that it was a slow day in the best way possible. Because we knew the power was going to be out for several hours we intentionally took the scenic route instead of the quick one. I turned off Google Maps because the traffic didn’t matter. Before I knew it, this semi-intentional slowness carried over. I kept my phone in my pocket while waiting in line for coffee. I fought the urge to hurry myself and our kids from one thing to the next. I even glanced at a magazine instead of scrolling on social media while Courtney browsed for makeup.
The amazing thing is how fun being “slow and boring” was. I laughed more. I smiled more. I noticed my family more. I even talked to God more (mostly about Asher finding a coin to throw in the fountain — and he did! 😂🙌)
It shouldn’t take the power going out for me to snap out of a state of hurry and busyness, but this week it did. In a world where we live from one notification to the next, I’m determined this year to start living more in the “now.” This week I just needed a little help from Duke Energy.