Slowly now
I received an email from a friend yesterday who warned me of Christmas drivers who will kill you on their way to being charitable. He got into a car crash on Monday and broke his ribs, sternum and neck. Now he has to keep so still in order not to become paralyzed.
This friend of mine spent years in Kenya and he related how most people there have a very different sense of time.
Once he saw an old goat herder on a hillside. Most of the time just leaning on a pole and watching the goats is considered a worthwhile activity. Now you’d think this job is boring, but it isn’t. Which of course brings up the topic of what exactly is boredom and our need for constant stimulation.
What my friend Matt found remarkable about this goat herder was just how relaxed his face was. It had none of the tensions that we see in those walking about. Have you noticed how many people look as if they are in pain? The mouth is tight. The brow is furrowed. But this goat herder was genuinely relaxed and smiling.
Matt thought about those harried stock brokers and lawyers running in pursuit of something-or-other back home in the United States. How many of them had such a calm, relaxed, and smiling face? Most of those elders made a few key decisions, but spent most of their day in the shade of palm trees not doing much.
There is a lesson in there somewhere. I may not spend all day leaning on a pole, but anglers, gardeners, knitters and others know how do appreciate going slow.