Slow Time.

I have read a bit about the slow movement recently. It interests me that people are choosing to intentionally slow down their lives. One of the advantages of having lived in Asia for so many years is our lives are already quite slow; that is the way life is lived here. I think my personality also inclines me to a relaxed pace of life. I remember when we were living in Auckland the words 'I'm busy' were often used as a greeting - in reply to 'How are you doing?' We were pressed to conform but resolutely refused! Of course we have times of busyness but we try not to lead busy lives. Ruminating on my pace of life lead me to think about the liturgical lifestyle and what effect it has on us and the speed we live at. I think that it has changed the way I see time; I now think of time as cyclical rather than linear. My year starts in December at Advent and climaxes at Pentecost in June. After that I enjoy a few months of Ordinary time, until the tempo again begins to increase at the end of November when we look forward to Advent again. The celebrations of the year give rhythm to our time and help us to focus on the main thing - the life story of Jesus. His story is played out year after year and digging deeper each year, we learn more of Him.We are told that slowing down is good for us but maybe only if we take note of what and who really matter. God does not seem to be in a hurry. If we are, we miss seeing what He is doing and the opportunity to join in with Him.
Living through the year with this perspective I  also appreciate the changing seasons with increased attention.The seasons of nature are linked to the seasons of the church; nature often acts as a metaphor for the God stories that we celebrate.
In our house we often celebrate the liturgical year with activities that particularly cultivate stillness: reading, cooking and making things by hand. Actions that promote meditative prayer, take time , require concentration and the achievement is slow.
Even when other aspects of our lives are busy carving out time to celebrate pulls us back to what is important - God's story in our lives.