Time to Slow Down

Things have been so busy lately

that my feet haven't touched the ground.

I'm running from morning until night,

with no end in sight.

I need a minute, or two, to collect my thoughts,

to hit the pause button on my life,

and breathe slowly.

I need to slow down;

there's so much cramming in my head,

and not enough time to savor the moments.

Get up, go to work, go to bed.

I want to stop and smell the flowers,

gaze at the moon and the stars,

take a drive down a dusty road

and forget the time on the clock.

I want to have long conversations with an old friend

over iced tea on the front porch

and we'll hug each other's necks

when it's time to leave and say good-bye.

because old friendships are a rare and beautiful thing

I want to browse to my heart's content in second- hand stores

finding lost treasures that someone slipped in a box

or the vintage find that reminds me of a childhood memory

now collecting dust in an antique store

I want to sip coffee, slowly,

with the newspaper spread all around

and time to clip recipes and coupons;

read the funnies and work the crossword puzzle.

I want to play with the children

and get down on the floor,

 read stories that make them laugh

and tickle their funny bone

I want to bake from scratch

the recipes my mother used to make

and pour me a cup of tea

from the teapot that I inherited.

I want to listen to soft music

that drowns out the noise

and latest headline news

I want to spend time talking to God

and listening to what he has to say

instead of always feeling rushed

and being on my way

And when I do,

He'll give me a moment, or two

To slow down 

and hit the pause button

So I can stop and breathe.

(c) Anita M. Ashworth 2010