Those of you who have seen me and asked about my vacation in Kauai have heard me talk primarily about one thing: Sea Turtles. Snorkeling with those ancient and slow creatures was a highlight for me and turtles keep showing up in my imagination as a guide for me in these summer days. Last Friday I went to my dream group wearing a glass turtle necklace I had purchased while away. I ran into the two other members of our group outside and one was wearing a turtle necklace and the other had on a turtle earring. It felt like synchronicity indeed. I am listening God: Let’s celebrate slowness.
Some things that should be done slowly:
Receiving a massage.
Taking a warm bath with sea salt and lavender.
Eating really good chocolate and allowing it to melt slowly on your tongue.
Cooking a meal with loving attention to each chop, sprinkle, and stir.
Going away on retreat in a beautiful, still place.
Napping.
Hiking deep in the emerald woods.
Listening to the rhythms of the ocean.
Rubbing a dog’s belly.
Letting a beautiful piece of music wash over you and knit itself into your being.
Listening. To a friend, a spouse, a stranger. To silence, to the holy presence.
Making love.
Gazing upon a work of art or a sunset and really seeing it.
Transformation: The long slow process of becoming who we really are.
Breathing.
Grieving. Experiencing the fullness of sorrow and loss.
Celebrating the simple joys of each day.
Building community and nurturing friendship.
Co-creating the Kingdom of God.
What are the things that you take time to enjoy slowly? What are the things worth savoring? What might happen if you slowed down enough to hear deeply the God who speaks in sheer silence? What is being whispered to you there?
-Christine Valters Paintner (sacredcenter at aol dot com)
3 Responses
Greetings SM! Thanks for your beautiful comment on my post. Your words continue to unwrap the image of slowness in such lovely ways. The Universe IS a wonderful model for our own becoming or emerging, the two intertwined. Blessings, Christine
Oh, Christine. Thank you for this.
I am taking a deep, nourishing, S-L-O-W breath now as I write.
Last quarter I led the women taking part in my spiritual direction training program in explorations of the Universe Story. It took the microscopic particles of our universe billions of years to get to where it is today. Getting here involved millions of experiments between cells, life forces, and beings. And we’ve hardly arrived! The universe is STILL being created. Evolving, or as I like to say, Emerging, takes a long time. Becoming takes a long time. Resurrection takes a long time. And while transformative events do occur in our lives, true and lasting transformaion is a journey. Thank you for inviting us to remember.
I’ve long wanted to swim with the sea turtles and with wild dolphins and whales. I’m nudged here again.
Blessed be all our turtle journeys.