Living in the Moment
If you have ever heard someone share their experiences about living abroad, then you have probably heard them refer to the change of pace they experienced. There is a slowness that startles your typical daily bustle, when you step foot out of the United States. As Americans we are always on the move, priding ourselves on staying “busy” and juggling all the activities. I get it; I am a seasoned juggler.
But suddenly things change when you are in Europe. You begin walking everywhere which typically takes quite a bit longer to get where you are wanting to go than you originally anticipated. You don’t have as much service on your devices as you might in the states, or you are getting charged for it, so you put down the phone. It’s harder to keep everyone in the states informed about everything going on, because there are so many things right in front of you that need discovering. The need to explore the architecture, museums, and boutique coffee shops, overpowers the need to binge watch the latest and greatest show. Schedules are a bit more fluid, time tables a bit more lax.
No one can truly prepare you for this shift. There is a very startling transition that happens when you enter a world where people really do allow you to sit at a table in a restaurant for hours on end, never bringing the check so as not to pressure you to leave, until you ask for it and are ready to leave.
This was one of the most powerful takeaways that I experienced from my time in Oxford this summer. There was so much beauty in putting down the phone, stopping my scroll, and just BEING where I was at. This task of just living in the moment, not planning the future or worrying about the past, is not easy for a type-A, Enneagram One like myself. But I believe that when we don’t slow down and sometimes, quite literally, stop and smell the roses, we miss so much of the beauty of the Lord’s creation around us. How can we truly glorify and magnify the name of the Creator if we do not pause in our little worlds that we are so busy hustling to build, to acknowledge and see all that He has already established?
Intentionally spending time just talking with friends, taking walks, reading a book outside, going for a run, and sitting in a meadow. These were some of the little moments I was able to capture that ended up being my favorite things about the whole adventure.
As I transition back into the states I miss the sweet pastries of the coffee shops we visited, the beauty of the street art and flowers we admired, and the quiet of just sitting in the backyard playing spikeball with friends. But I am determined to hold onto those memories as a catalyst for intentionality in my life back home. Choosing to slow down. Choosing to LIVE.
Featured image: Admiring the home and garden of C. S. Lewis
Spending time traveling the world with my best friend, fellow study abroad student Berkley Bruckner
Standing in awe of the work of our Creator in the Scotland Highlands.