The joyless urgency of modern life is taking its toll on our health and relationships, on our spiritualty and morality. This year, step away from the joyless urgency that often even infects the way we experience and celebrate Christmas.
Welcome back to Best Christmas Ever! Where we are exploring 28 Ways to Make this Your Best Christmas Ever!
#14 is… very simply, slow down.
The speed at which we do anything can change its meaning and outcomes. It is time to slow down and escape the joyless urgency that has gripped our lives.
To explore this lesson, let us consider the question, does speeding get you there faster? A study conducted by the University of Sydney found that on average drivers saved just two minutes a week or 26 seconds per day.
Almost all theoretical gains are lost by unexpected delays. But even if you could travel at a constant speed of 75 miles per hour in a 55 mile per hour zone for 30 miles, you would only save 8.7 minutes. Is speeding worth it?
Take into account the costs of speeding, such as the stress and anxiety of getting a ticket, the increased chance of causing an accident, the possible financial penalties, and possible restrictions to your life if your license is revoked, and the obvious and not so obvious impact of all of these on your health, and it becomes clear that the risks far outweigh the reward.
And yet, we speed through life, joylessly.
Slow down as we journey toward Christmas. Slow down to the speed of goodness and generosity, patience and wisdom.
Matthew Kelly
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