Quiet Moments

As y’all know I work day in day out making coffee for the masses. Sometimes days at the Bucks are so easy and effortless, nothing ruffles us and nothing goes wrong… much like today. We were on our A game and had the drive through line moving and running like clock work.  Everyone was happy, stress free and upbeat. I was incredibly humbled by a conversation I found myself in with a co worker about how each person can set the tone for the entire day.  I was bragging on a certain shift manager that no matter what, when he came in he had without fail an attitude that the day was going to be great no matter what.  Only last week we had the air conditioner break,  the pastry case stop cooling, and a water filter spring a leak the size of Texas.  Did I mention it was all in one day? Talk about some patience.  Yet again I was reminded that I had to take the time to seek “small moments of greatness”. These moments don’t have to be huge and sometimes we don’t see them when they are right there in front of our face. How does one find them? Is there some sign from the heavens above with a gigantic arrow pointing down on the situation we find ourselves in? Wouldn’t it be awesome if life worked that way?  What is it that we seek to find these small moments?

 

This Sunday I found myself attending the late service at church. It was exactly where I needed to be in the busy rush of life that if we aren’t careful, “the busy” has a tendency to take over so many aspects of our lives.  There was an under current of quiet holiness and peace. A quiet calling to rest, listen and bask in the beauty found in the communion with fellow Christians.  Seeking moments of quiet and stillness can draw one closer to seeing the world and people in a different light than we as humans often see it. Sometimes we forget to seek the quiet in all of the noisy hustle and bustle of life.  There is something so incredibly beautiful in passing communion to each other and we are so gently reminded of where we come from and that following God is not always an easy path to to take sometimes but it is a  path that many have walked before us.  That the walk is more than worth the current struggle we may find ourselves in.  Quiet, small, and peaceful moments are some of my favorite moments to find.

 

I recently have become a cyclist and love the quiet I find in each ride. The whir of the tires. The breeze that meets me with each pedal. The feeling of complete victory after struggling up a hill and the reward of racing down the hill on the other side.  It seems rather fitting to real life and how tough some seasons can be as we journey through this world.  Getting up the hill can seem impossible and at times beyond our own strength. The hills of life can be so killer. Just last week I totally failed at cycling up the hill and ended up walking up the hill with my bike but at least I made it.  Not my proudest moment but at least I didn’t quit. The thrill of riding down a hill is like no other. It is the rush of adrenaline and being at the edge of  being out of complete control.  I can be a control freak sometimes and every time I take off down a hill I am reminded that I am not always in control of every aspect of my life.  That living life can be risky and sometimes we run the risk of not making it out the way we thought at first but usually we make it despite how many time we fall, trip, or stumble  through the road we are currently on.  Sometimes we end up on a different road all together. The new found road may lead to all new adventure or a bit of sightseeing we would have never seen had we not taken the a detour. Was it actually a detour or did we end right where we supposed to be all along? The scenery we see along the way is more worth the effort it takes to make it up the hill. Yet again a quiet peace is found in the sights I see each time I go for a ride.  There is a calling for stillness and  sense of peace that is not always easy to find.

 

In both places there seems to be a repetitive theme of seeking moments of quiet, stillness, and peace.  There is so much that day in day out seems to constantly seek our time and attention. Nothing truly seems to be content to be lost in the silence. Everything seems to have the ability to speak back, search for, or entertain us.  What about the real and true human connection we each were meant to have with each other on a day to day basis.  Statistically we are told at the Bucks that we could be the one and only human contact for many of our customers in the work day. That as soon as some of them leave us, they would get to work and spend the remainder of their day with a computer screen.  Their contact with humans would be none to nil.  Myself being such a people person that loves people, cannot fathom the idea of not being around other human beings. I don’t want to imagine life without other humans to connect, laugh, and be with. Not that I have to be around people all of the time but the human connection we all are capable of has the possibility to change one persons life, perspective, or outlook on life.

 

Imagine not taking the time to say hi to another human being, or smiling at them. What then do we do to fill the time we have on our hands? We play on our phones, play games, swipe left or right depending on our current mood. I’ve heard it from some of my dearest friends, I’m tired of being bored. I don’t have anyone to hangout with. I wish I was dating someone. I don’t have any friends. I never have anything to do. Sound familiar. I am certain I’ve said some of these very things myself.  Well no one is stopping us from getting out there and living life and connecting with other human beings when we actually set our phones down, take the headphones out and seek the quiet calling we each have to make a difference. Maybe it’s striking up a conversation with a complete stranger. Holding the door open for someone who has their hands full. If we never put the phone down we will never have the opportunity to seize these moments and make the best of them.  Maybe it’s noticing when someone you know just needs a hug. Perhaps it’s taking the time to actually listen and take the whole story in. What about those rare moments when you are the passenger in the car and instead of burying your head in the latest and greatest of whatever can be found on social media, what if you took in the scenery and perhaps the conversation that can ebb and flow when two people take the time to connect and discover the art of a good conversation. How many sunsets and sunrises do we miss because the screen in our hand seems so much more pertinent to us at the time.

  

I spent the very young years of my childhood in a log cabin. It came complete with solar power, kerosene lamps, an outhouse, a wood burning cook stove , and the most incredible view I have ever seen over looking a river. I somehow think that even though I was a small child when I lived there that it taught me to appreciate the little things in life.  Yes, being a child is much less complicated than being an adult with responsibility and the acquired bills to pay. My parents have retired to that house and are back to living the way things where when I was so young. They seem so relaxed and happy. The very best way to live life as retired folks should. Their lives are so much less complicated than many peoples. True they have to plan each day and each season is prepared for according to what each season can and will bring. Everyone once in awhile I am convinced that if I were to live that way again I would find a sense of appreciation that can be lost in the hustle and bustle of everything that I do each week. I literally continue to run to and fro and try my best to accomplish everything that I can in the most efficient way possible. I know though that I should take my own advice.  In order to find the precious quiet moments of peace, rest, and beauty of the world that I live in, I must in turn do what I seek in others.  So here is to week of letting the quiet in. It’s hard to hear gentle voice of beauty and rest when we drown it out with loud music, images, and social media, that if we are not careful can begin to fulfill what we view as part of our self worth.  It’s fun to see if we can get over a hundred likes on something that we posted. I wouldn’t even have this opportunity for this project if it weren’t for social media.  Just remember it is not what say we can do for the world. You can make a status that says anything and states whatever it is that comes to mind. What about when we actually go out and do something.  Actions always speak louder than words. It’s not about who all had liked such and such, or I have more followers and friends than you.  It’s about connecting with one another for the greater good of a future that is beyond the road we walk on.  

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