It doesn't have to be a race

The view from my back patio

Do you ever feel like you're a rat in somebody else's race? (I think I stole that line from a book - maybe from Who Moved My Cheese?) We've been reading The Mouse and the Motorcycle each night with Katelin. In the last chapter we read, Ralph was forced to run through a maze made by his human friend Ryan (Ryan was holding Ralph's motorcycle hostage unless he cooperated with his maze project for school).

Sometimes I feel a bit like Ralph; I don't want to keep running through this maze of life, but sometimes I feel forced. Slowing down is something I've been working on for a while, but I struggle with it, with the feeling that there's something else I need to hurry up and do. I was so grateful to hear this message from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf on Saturday about slowing down and focusing on the basic important things; I am more committed to doing like Ralph did in the book, jumping out of the maze and making my own decisions. Life is not a race, and as President Uchtdorf discussed, it is important to find a slow and steady pace.

So in an attempt to do a little bit better, my first resolve is this - to take a few minutes to sit on my back patio and just be with myself each day. During this time I will:

1. Read scriptures

2. Pray

3. Meditate and remind myself to slow down

4. Smile and enjoy the breeze, the view, and the good things in my life

This is something I often do anyway, but I am committed to doing it every day and with purpose (instead of rushing through) for all of October, until it is a habit that is part of me. It's best to do it in the morning (for me), but if I miss and make it up later in the day, that is okay too. So that is my goal. I will be reporting to you on my progress and the impact it has (whether you are out there reading or not).