Do You Suffer from Hurry Sickness?
Based on our individual personalities and makeup, we all have different Orientations to Time. Never heard of this? Think of Orientation to Time as a type of filter through which we process, plan, envision, shop, negotiate, even budget. Some function in the world from a place of the PAST – taking into account all that has been. Others operate in the PRESENT – dealing with what has been dealt. Then there are those, like me, who are orientated to the FUTURE, always planning and dreaming about what can be (can I hear a “whoop whoop!” for Enneagram 8’s?).
No orientation is better than the other – all have their advantages and disadvantages. It is said that true maturity occurs when we are able to discipline ourselves to take all three orientations into consideration at the same time. Discovering this truth has given my husband and I a much deeper and intimate understanding of one another, as we both function from different orientations. Seriously, if we had known earlier, we could have avoided SO MANY arguments!
Being orientated to the future works well for me when it comes to planning. I seriously excel, able to imagine and prepare for any outcome. It causes me to shop sales, keeping in mind what we will need in the future, and avoiding the inconvenience of running out. Rain? Shine? Doesn’t matter! I’m ready!
But being oriented to the future definitely has its drawbacks. I’m always thinking ahead to the point of not fully engaging in the present, which keeps me from remembering what has occurred. A typical scene in our home is my husband recalling some super-special family memory, only to have me respond, “I’m sorry. I don’t remember anything about that.” Seriously! What kind of mom can’t remember certain special memories with her kids? One that is orientated to the future, apparently.
Truth is, I may not be able to tell you what I did on vacation last summer, but I can sure tell you what I’m doing next Tuesday at 10:00am, without even a glance at my calendar (getting ready for Christmas Eve Service, if you’re curious). It also enables me to do tasks fast. Too fast, in fact. I have vivid memories of my first-grade teachers saying, “Cammie, slow down. You don’t always have to be the first to finish the test!” Or recently (more like the past 35 years), hearing Stan remind me, “Slow down. Enjoy the journey!”
Isn’t the point of the journey to get to the destination???
But seriously, probably the greatest drawback to being orientated to the future is this…I always seem to be in a hurry. Most times there’s this slight angst within me, nudging me to look ahead, plan ahead, and get ahead. It’s exhausting.
So today, as I sit in an overcrowded Starbucks, sharing a table with a cute 20something girl with shiny black hair, who graciously allowed me to sit across from her, writing out my Spiritual Growth Plan for 2020, I can no longer deny the word, in the form of a challenge, that has been dangling before me for the past month – PRESENT.
I swear, it’s as if I’ve all but received an email directly from God.
“Cammie, be PRESENT.”
Seriously?! If You want me to be present, why did You make me want to do things so fast, God? Could you please give me something easier?
Nope. BE. PRESENT.
Ever had a time when you hear something over and over from different sources? Author Margaret Feinberg calls it a “Sacred Echo.”
Well, God’s been sacred echoing all over the place with me.
I went to see the Mr. Rogers movie. Goodness, that man knew how to be present. I mean, Wow! And as a result of his being present, everyone he encountered knew they were loved. I mean REALLY loved. He was a life-changer. He was amazing.
I decided Mr. Rogers is my new aim in life. I’ve never been more serious.
Sacred Echo.
Then, to put the cherry on the proverbial cake, I read the newest book by John Mark Comer – The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.
Major game changer. Like I-have-to-totally-rearrange-my-entire-life changer.
Another Sacred Echo.
In his book, John Mark talks about Hurry Sickness, beginning with insightful definitions from different sources:
“Hurry Sickness is a behavior characterized by continual rushing and anxiousness.”
“Hurry Sickness is a malaise in which a person feels chronically short of time, and so tends to perform every task faster, and get flustered when encountering any type of delay.”
“Hurry Sickness is a continuous struggle and unremitting attempt to accomplish or achieve more and more things to participate in more and more events in less and less time.”
Oh. My. Goodness.
He brilliantly makes statements such as…
“Give your soul a chance to catch up to your body.”
“Hurry is a form of violence on the soul.”
“Hurry kills relationships. Love takes time.”
“Hurry harms all that we love.”
He then goes on to spell out 10 signs of Hurry Sickness:
1) Irritability
2) Hypersensitivity
3) Restlessness
4) Workaholism (or non-stop activity)
5) Emotional numbness (inability to feel other people’s pain)
6) Out-of-order priorities
7) Lack of care of body
8) Escapist behaviors
9) Slippage of spiritual disciplines
10) Isolation.
CHECK. CHECK. CHECK. CHECK. OUCH. OUCH.
Dang it! Ouch!
So here I am. A new year almost here. At the crossroads of truth. Faced with the decision of the hard road where the journey must be taken wherein character will be strengthened; or the easy road which most of our culture is traveling.
Jesus, help me. Please.
SLOW DOWN.
SIT WITH ME.
ALLOW ME TO LOVE YOU.
PACE YOURSELF TO THE RHYTHM OF MY LOVE.
BE PRESENT.
So I chose BEING PRESENT.
My hope? That this time next year, my blog will be about the beauty of being present and the experiences that I’ve had to prove it.
Does any of this ring true with you? Anyone? What would happen if we ruthlessly rejected Hurry Sickness? What if we allowed our souls to catch up to our bodies? What if we enjoyed the journey?
What do you believe would be the result?
Thank you for reading, subscribing and sharing! Please visit www.cammiewilson.com to discover more about coaching and spiritual direction and make 2020 the year you fully started living – rejecting hurry and embracing being PRESENT.
