Another walking story.

I notice things a lot when I'm walking to and from somewhere.

This morning, my Elders Quorum went to the temple for a 6am session. I really wanted to go- we have a temple so close (literally a five minute walk,) and so many have sacrificed over the years for us to enjoy that blessing. The least I can do is get there as much as is reasonably possible to show gratitude and provide someone else the blessings I have.

I woke up at 5:15, and realized my cold hadn't gone away. I thought about it for a minute, then decided it would be better to sleep of my sickness so I can be more productive and disciple-y during the day. I woke up again at 9, and my room mate was in the shower. I pulled my comforter up to my head and fell into a warm and gentle sleep again.

I woke up again at 10. I have work at 10:10 on Wednesdays. It takes 10 minutes to walk to work. I would be late. I hustled through my apartment, trying to care as much as I could to combat the apathy of illness. Throwing a few pills down my throat, I rushed out the door and began my powerwalk to minimal tardiness.

Sometimes in life, you see trials coming, and you try to hurry past them, but in trying to avoid them, you make it worse. I saw a group of people crawl out of the construction area behind the MC. A suited man with glasses wore a cowboy had, and another in stereotypical construction gear carried what looked like blueprints under his arm. They looked like pretty important people. The ten or so of them turned the corner into my path, and slowly strolled forward. I had tried to hurry so I could be in front of them, but I ended up being right on their tails. Even worse. They were spread out as to block the entire sidewalk for anyone trying to pass. I was incredibly frustrated; I was late, I was in a hurry, and I didn't want to be trapped by middle aged businessmen on their way to talk about some snooty proposal to make the construction last even longer. Suddenly, the words of a poet came into my mind:

"And I ain't got no worries, 'cause I ain't in no hurry at all...." ("Black Water," by Pat Simmons of the Doobie Brothers.)

Then it hit me. Yeah, I'm going to be late, but so what? What difference is an extra minute and half walking slower behind these people going to make? I once had a teacher encourage us to walk slower when we went somewhere. He said we, as a society, are so rushed, and if we take the time to walk slowly and deliberately, we will be more peaceful and less stressed. Those feelings washed over me as I deliberately kept a slow pace with those people.

Of course, when the opportunity first presented itself, I made a fast break and hurried to work. A good lesson, though. We rush everywhere- why? If you're one minute late, being two minutes late won't make a difference, and you'll at least feel better when you get there. It's the little things like slow walking that make life better.

PS
Sis. Morgan I'm not encouraging tardiness I promise.