Feeling groovy

Yes, I know.  I am showing my age.  Who says groovy anymore?  Yet that is exactly how I felt as I spent many leisurely moments on the front porch of a lovely cottage home, the first home of my youngest son and daughter-in-law.

Groovy means enjoyable and excellent.  It was a word popular in the 60's, the era of my childhood.  It was the time of hippies, bell bottoms, peace and love.  It was a time of  turning one's back on  the 'establishment', and choosing to slow down, enjoy and savor life.  As I sat on that porch, tea in hand, feet propped up, an old Simon and Garfunkel  song came to mind.

                   
                      Slow down, you move to fast
                      You've got to make the morning last
                      Just kicking down the cobblestones
                       Looking for fun and feeling' groovy
                       Ba da da da da da feelin' groovy


Slow down, you move too fast.  It was almost as if I could hear these words coming from the brittle autumn leaves crunching beneath my feet as my daughter-in-law, husband and I took an early morning walk.  I ignored the admonition in my head to slow down as Brit and I marched through the brittle leaves.  My husband, on the other hand, strolled leisurely, kicking up cobblestones, or more accurately, kicking up leaves to find pecans that had fallen from the trees.  He found many, and would then stop to crack open the hull,  eat the bounty inside, and savor the taste of the fresh pecans.  As I looked back at him, and waited on him, I thought how this walk for me was exercise, but for him, it was discovery.  What things don't I discover because I move too fast?

Too many times, I have ignored the admonition in my head to slow down.  In fact, recently I had an echocardiogram because as the technician explained, I had a 'Nike heart', one that swooshed (meaning it was a type of heart murmur) and they needed to discover why.  The results showed that my heart valve did not fully close or relax between beats.  When the doctor explained this to me, I actually laughed and said, "I could have told you that, and so could my family!"   

I am afraid I have fallen victim to the 'establishment'.  The establishment that says, "Do more, be more productive every day, get busy!"  I believe Ephesians 5:16  encourages us to be good stewards of our time and opportunities, yet I wonder if perhaps that verse gets interpreted far too often as be busy, very very busy with Kingdom work to the neglect of taking daily opportunities to spend time alone every day just reflecting and resting in the King.  There is such wisdom in sitting, listening, reflecting, meditating; purposely turning off all outside noise- phones, TV, music.

My time on the front porch on Patton street was a wonderful reminder of slowing down and resting.  My youngest son and daughter-in-law are wise in their time.  They choose to turn off the noise and simply sit on that front porch.  As they embrace parenthood soon,  I pray they will continue to spend time on that porch and teach their child the value of quiet reflection and stillness within.

It is a lesson I think Jesus wanted His apostles to learn. After they had been busy with Kingdom work, and reported back to Him all they had done, His simple reply was,

​"Come away by yourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile"  Mark 6: 31 

A place of quiet rest.  A place of stillness within our souls.  Something we must purpose every day in our crazy, hectic lives.  I found my groove on the porch on Patton street.  My nike heart found rest, and I felt completely and utterly groovy.