A beautiful poem...reposted....with comments!

Following is a beautiful poem sent to us by Blythe. Posted below that is an excerpt from my emailed response to the poem. Enjoy! :)

SLOW DANCE
Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say,"Hi"
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.
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Am I the only one who's getting mixed messages from this poem??? I'm seeing "slow down" and "don't put things off till tomorrow, do them today" side-by-side and I'm left wondering:

"Ok, what should I do??...Do I do xyz today...or tomorrow...or just forget about it b/c my life's about to end?...ok, I think I'll just forget about making time to drop off the dry cleaning...wait a minute, that'll mean I'll either have to buy new clothes or quit my job!...I don't have time to drop of dry cleaning, so how will I ever have the time to go shopping for a new wardrobe???...I guess I could quit my job...then I would have time...but then I'd be homeless which has it's own set of worries and responsibilties...Gosh, is this poem advocating homelessness? Hmmmm... Maybe I should just go be a monk in the Himalayas. Do they get paid to do that? Can women be monks? Maybe I could just be a personal prayer consultant, instead. Like someone could hire me just to pray for them - 8 hours a day/40 hours/week. How would the pay structure on something like that work? I mean, would you get paid by the hour, or just when certain prayers were answered? I think I'll google this when I get home this evening....Oh, wait, can't because I still have to drop off my drycleaning!!!"

Do ya'll feel that way too? ;) Just wondering.

I really do like the poem - it should remind us all that we are human beings, not human doings! We are defined by our character and who we are in Christ, not what we accomplish or earn or gain...