S.O.S.Time to Slow Down

My dear Tulsa friend often sends me emails that include hilarious photos, statements, and stories that give me comedic relief. I loved this one from a few days ago:
S.O.S.
“An Airbus 380 is on its way across the Atlantic. It flies consistently at 800 km/h at 30,000 feet, when suddenly a Eurofighter with Tempo Mach 2 appears. The pilot of the fighter jet slows down, flies alongside the Airbus and greets the pilot of the passenger plane by radio: “Airbus, boring flight, isn’t it? Now have a look here!” He rolls his jet on its back, accelerates, breaks through the sound barrier, rises rapidly to a dizzying height, then swoops down almost to sea level in a breathtaking dive. He loops back next to the Airbus and asks, “Well, how was that?”

The Airbus pilot answers: “Very impressive, but now you look!” The jet pilot watches the Airbus, but nothing happens. It continues to fly stubbornly straight, with the same speed. After 15 minutes, the Airbus pilot radios, “Well, how was that?” Confused, the jet pilot asks, “What did you do?” The Airbus pilot laughs and says, “I got up, stretched my legs, walked to the back of the aircraft to use the washroom, then got a cup of coffee and a chocolate fudge pastry.”

The moral of the story is: When you are young, speed and adrenaline seem to be great. But as you get older and wiser, you learn that comfort and peace are more important. This is called S.O.S. — Slower, Older & Smarter. Dedicated to all my friends who are like me, now realizing that it is time to slow down, be smarter, and enjoy the rest of the trip.”

And, it is so true. I have found that when we get out of the “fast lane”, we’ll see so much beauty that awakens all our senses. Such was the case when my family and I were in Cabo del Sol for several days after Christmas. While the youngsters enjoyed plenty of “busy” – like riding on every toy imaginable in the ocean, playing volleyball, swimming, pickleball, and golfing, they occasionally enjoyed chillin’ by the ocean or the pool.

Then there’s me. I stayed put when I was working on another blog, having my devotion time by the pool or under the umbrella at the ocean, watching the water fun of others. This very white girl avoids too much sun. But, I couldn’t sit still for long because I enjoyed taking in the scenery and beauty of the location.

Perhaps it’s time, like that pilot who was “slower, older and smarter”, to embrace the seasons we are in. Let the youngsters show off their high-spirited energy and the rest of us ease into a pace that represents “been there, done it and have the t-shirt to show for it”! No shame in slowing down to “stop and smell the roses”. If we don’t stop and smell them today, before we know it, the roses will have wilted and withered and be gone.

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10