Saturday, April 29, 2006

A Slow Pour

I'm often in a rush. This could be the result of growing up with a mother that is very hard-working and thus always moving. It could also be a sad reflection of my bad habit of procrastination. Needless to say, it is a way of life for me to "bustle about". My husband has even called it Hurricane Mode, when I really get going.

Last week, I learned a valuable lesson and was confronted with this habit, which may be keeping me from enjoying some of the quieter moments that life affords.

We checked into a beautiful resort in Kelowna. The rates were really reasonable because of the homeschooling conference and so we splurged for the weekend stay. Of course, because it was a pretty fancy place, and breakfast was gonna cost us close to $50 for the family, we decided to eat in our room. I had brought along some oranges, biscuits, and juice boxes. The room also had a coffee-maker with coffee, so I made a cup of java to get us going. We had a big day ahead of us at the conference.

As all mothers, I was not only preparing breakfast, but getting the boys dressed, finishing my own hair & make-up, tidying up the toys and books scattered about the room, etc.

"Oh, the coffee's done. Here, let me pour you a cup," I said to my husband and quickly grabbed the carafe.

Turning my wrist I proceeded to pour the coffee into the mug, but about a third of it ended up on the counter because I was pouring too quickly - the spout was quite small. After cleaning up the spill and getting hubby comfortable to enjoy his morning fix, I continued to pour a cup for myself. This time, however, I was more careful, and was stunned at how slowly I had to pour in order to avoid spilling. The coffee was satisfying and I didn't give the incident another thought.

That is, until the next day. Again, we had breakfast in the room, complete with yogurt and muffins, and of course, coffee. This time, I was wise to the fact that I had to pour slowly, and so as I filled our mugs, I noticed how enjoyable this activity can be. The sound of the liquid filling the cup, the aroma filling the air, the rich caramel colour of the coffee, were all delights to the senses. Sadly, I have filled many cups of coffee in my life, and never really stopped to enjoy the pleasures of such action. Why? Because I'm doing it in a hurry.

This begs the question: how many other "pleasures" are there along life's road that I am not relishing because I am engaging in these activities in a hurry? Sadly, I have to admit that this is probably more frequent than God wants it to be. He has created me to participate in the abundant life, which I believe, also includes the small "pleasures". These small "pleasures" come as part of the everyday and are experienced via the five senses that God created us with. Surely, He delights when we delight in these small gifts.

Of course, these "pleasurable" activities should never become our god. But they may just be another way to offer praise and gratitude to the One that grants us life and breath. And with such perspective, I thank God for a pleasurable slow pour of coffee.

5 comments:

Kelly said...

Thanks for the post today Marlene:)

It's funny...I have to admit that reading your post was a means to procrastinate a research assignment I'm doing...and just to let you know you are not the only one with a procrastination problem :)

It was funny how your post reminded me of the very thing I was procrasting...

I am in the middle of researching a reading strategy for my spring course starting Monday. The strategy is called The Mulitsensory Approach to reading. It is intriguing and makes sense (hahaha)...I'm excited to share it with my classmates, since the assignment is to be presented (yikes).

This strategy uses Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, and Tactile (VAKT) methods of learning simultaneously in order to enhance memory and learning. (Such as sky-writing letters or using your finger to trace letters over sandpaper while saying the letter and its sound out loud).

Well now that I have a jump start to my assignment...even in my procrastination time I should get on it.

Thanks again for the post and I look forward to hearing more about your homeschooling conference.

Nen said...

This is too true for myself as well. I find myself continually looking at my 6 yr old, saying, "Kiddo, I am sorry. Mama is rushing you AGAIN, cause I am always running late. IN a HURRY!! "

ReneeM

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ReneeM/

p.s.s - do we have the same coffee pot?

Yummy Mommy said...

Ever thought of leading a small group bible study for us young wives and mommies Marlene?

Marlene S. said...

Great to see you at church Sharon. We'll have to catch up over coffee. My mom's here this week, though. Maybe next week, Friday afternoon????

Yummy mummy... mmmm not really.

(But I have been thinking and praying about the women's ministry and where it's going/what it's doing. I'd love to work with women and help us keep growing in godliness.The only thing is that I'd need to see God lead someone else to take over the Pioneer Girls ministry before I could consider the ladies. Maybe you could pray for God's guidance for me in this all.)

Homemanager said...

Marlene,
Praise the Lord! Yes, we are on the same page again. LOL!
I'm one of those "white tornados" too. :o)

I will pray for you about that "Mom's bible study". :o)
I have a book called, "Finding a Mentor, Being a Mentor" by Donna Otto. In the back of the book, she has a 30 week mentoring schedule. It is a helpful launching place. The first week is on Character. It is very short, asks some questions about character and then offers a prayer to be prayed. I added other things to it to make it a worthwhile time.