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DAVID BENTLEY'S WEEKLY COLUMN |
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HOLIDAZE
Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away, and the November-January holiday rush has begun. Calendars are full of open houses, carol sings, lighting events, old fashioned this and that, and too many parties, dinners, and potlucks to count. Perhaps it's a characteristic of middle age, but I don't remember having so many activities and being so rushed in my youth. There were fewer intrusions on my time when I was younger. We spontaneously played more. We took naps. We had meaningful conversations with friends. We even went on leisurely Sunday afternoon drives through the countryside with the entire family together in one automobile. Now don't misinterpret my sentiments. I'm as addicted to the internet and e-mail as most of my peers, and I understand the dilemma of working parents with children. I also enjoy socializing and being entertained. My concern is that I have so little time left for reflection on all that my body, mind, and spirit are absorbing. We've become a sound-bite society with very short attention spans and a collective fear of being bored by inactivity. The average song lasts three minutes or less. Printed articles used to be 750-1000 words in length, but online articles are seldom longer than 300 words. A recent study showed that visitors to museums who formerly took ten seconds to view each piece of art now average three seconds per item. Speeches are designed to deliver two or three sound bites for listeners and reporters to take away. This onslaught of bits of information is never ending with few opportunities to sort them out and think about what they mean. What good is information if we never take the time to reflect upon its validity or applicability? How can we dare to risk being spontaneous when our lives are overwhelmed by scheduled events? Maybe this is the year to actually slow down and reflect during the holiday season.
© 2004 David Bentley David Bentley, M.Ed. & Personal Coach, coaches clients through the game of life, helping them find balance, clarity of direction, and purpose in an ever-changing world. You may contact him at 360.378.8436 by e-mail at david@coachbentley.com or visit his Web site: www.coachbentley.com |
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