I entered the cab, my family tumbling in behind me, and saw a well-loved guitar resting in the front seat. My heart instantly warmed. I wasn’t sure why.
We pulled away from the airport curb and the taxi driver immediately put on his personal mix CD of slow latin luscious music. He gave my husband a few bars to settle in and then handed him an egg shaker (mini maraca). In a Russian accent he said, “Go ahead and try.”
It was one AM. We had been traveling for fifteen hours. Taking a rhythm test was hardly the mood in the front seat. My girls and I silently waited to see what Alex would do. He started slowly . . . shake shake tap. Shake shake tap. Nope, that wasn’t it.
Tap shake tap. Tap shake tap. Closer, but not quite with the music.
The large bald head behind the wheel nodded along and then gave encouragement, “It’s harder when the music is slow.”
We all listened more intently with this new knowledge and with the second shaker Mr. Cabbie pulled out to add more rhythm to the melody.
I had to try. It was harder to go slow than I thought.
I went to bed knowing that we had received an important message. In the morning I understood it.
Most of us just finished a wonderful period of Thanksgiving slow. Lazy days without routine or rhythm. Now comes the first week of December. We will be tempted to dive in, fast paced, in our normal rhythm that is easy because it’s the beat we always play. But what if we were to consciously try to find a slower rhythm as we begin and end our days.
It will be harder to maintain the rhythm at first. But we will be more focused. More expansive. More creative and kind.
Take out your imaginary shaker and try this song for practice. You can do it!
We pulled away from the airport curb and the taxi driver immediately put on his personal mix CD of slow latin luscious music. He gave my husband a few bars to settle in and then handed him an egg shaker (mini maraca). In a Russian accent he said, “Go ahead and try.”
It was one AM. We had been traveling for fifteen hours. Taking a rhythm test was hardly the mood in the front seat. My girls and I silently waited to see what Alex would do. He started slowly . . . shake shake tap. Shake shake tap. Nope, that wasn’t it.
Tap shake tap. Tap shake tap. Closer, but not quite with the music.
The large bald head behind the wheel nodded along and then gave encouragement, “It’s harder when the music is slow.”
We all listened more intently with this new knowledge and with the second shaker Mr. Cabbie pulled out to add more rhythm to the melody.
I had to try. It was harder to go slow than I thought.
I went to bed knowing that we had received an important message. In the morning I understood it.
Most of us just finished a wonderful period of Thanksgiving slow. Lazy days without routine or rhythm. Now comes the first week of December. We will be tempted to dive in, fast paced, in our normal rhythm that is easy because it’s the beat we always play. But what if we were to consciously try to find a slower rhythm as we begin and end our days.
It will be harder to maintain the rhythm at first. But we will be more focused. More expansive. More creative and kind.
Take out your imaginary shaker and try this song for practice. You can do it!
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