Nap, Lunch, PE versus Reality

     Recently, I asked my Kindergartner what her favorite parts of the school day are.  Having been in school for three weeks, I thought that by now the answer would be something along the lines of "story time" or "art" or "music."  Instead, she immediately offered "nap."  She hasn't taken a nap in two years.  So, I pressed a bit further:  "what else do you like?"  "Lunch."  Seriously?  Nap and lunch.  One more time....."anything else?"  "PE."  There you have it.  The three best parts of her day:  sleep, food, and play.

     Then, I started thinking about my own day.  What are my favorite parts?  It is true - sleep, food, and play.  Given the option, I would put my focus on these three things every single day.  So, really, things don't change from 5 to 105.  We love those parts of our day where we are relaxed, comfortable, and having fun.  We pursue those parts of our day.

     Yet, so much time of so many days is spent stressed, hurried, and uncomfortable.  So, how do we respond?  We buy things.  We buy things that we think will give us more time, allow us more comfort, and let us relax.  Or, we schedule more activities.  We schedule activities that will entertain us.  We work harder and longer so that we can make more money to buy more things and bring us more comfort.  We place our focus on ourselves and our own comforts.  These responses do not solve the problem.  Instead, we just create more busyness.  We chase after things that will neither sustain us nor make us complete.

    However, this all changes in a second when there is something awe-inspiring, like the total Eclipse that literally slowed a nation of busy people to a place where everyone stopped to looked at the sky. It also changes when there is something catastrophic like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.  As people flee their homes, others offer shelter and stop to look for ways to help.  It even changes when we feel like an injustice has been done like the response to the "Dreamers" where many people are stopping their otherwise rushed lives to make phone calls and speak up for people who need a voice.  Suddenly, in the face of these things, the rush of each day seems less important.  Suddenly, we open our eyes and see around us.  We don't stop to relax, be comfortable, or have fun; rather, we stop our busyness to help those who need it.  We stop to take in miracles around us.  Or, we stop to speak out and speak up.

    While my heart may desire sleep, food, and play, the reality is that the world demands that we grow up.  Instead of seeking my own comforts, the world demands more.  The world demands an awakening.

    Rather than looking to what makes me more relaxed, more comfortable, and more entertained, our world demands that we look to what will help others, help our planet, and leave a legacy for those who will come after.  If we don't do something to reach out and make a difference, I worry that there will not be much left for the generations that follow.