I am writing this by hand in the old cursive style of my grade school years, a style I learned back when penmanship was a class taught in school. I can’t tell you how many times I stumbled on the connection of the cursive “o” to “r”, or especially the “o” to “s”. You should try it, it’s a good time.

As in all of my classes, I competed to be the best, but instead of trying to be the first one finished, I slowed down and prided myself in the beauty of the writing. I craved the feeling I got when I finished and saw my writing as handsome on the page.

I took my time writing, and still do—most of the time. I love a good fountain pen and have a small collection, which, tragically, will go completely unused from time to time.

Life is sometimes too busy for fountain pens with their ink and maintenance and slow, looping scrawls on paper, but then again, the best seasons in my life were those I have recorded in my hand-written journals—especially the ones with ink blotches denoting fountain pen usage. 

When life gets too busy what do we miss?

I don’t think “everything” is a bad answer.

We all know that slowing down is good for the soul, but it’s extremely difficult, especially for those of us in the business world.

It’s really very easy to go fast. Everything from education to career work can be done quickly.

You can get a degree or a certification or a skill set, and all you have to do is do as you’re told. The path is laid out for you, beaten down by hundreds and thousands who have gone down the exact same path before you, helped along by professionals who are there to help you.

Degrees and tasks are the easy parts of life.

Being “busy” doing them is a surefire way to missing the point of life.

The hard parts of life—the things that don’t seem to matter until you have either a brush with death or the poor-house—are these matters of the soul.

That’s why some of my favorite books are about near-death experiences; something about brushing with death makes people realize the meaning of things and their deep need for personal wholeness.

When we don’t make it our goal to slow down and pay attention to our soul, we neglect the part of us that gets burnt out, depressed, obsessed, greedy, passionate, hurt, distracted, and frustrated.

These matters of the soul should not be relegated only to the church or the psychiatrist’s office, and they shouldn’t be pushed aside by the tyranny of the urgent. 

We are our best selves when we intentionally slow down and live intentionally. Making space to hear yourself think, and listen to God speak, is the first step toward achieving the greatest and most proud accomplishment for us humans: wholeness.

Every soul is on that path, even yours. Don’t let the busyness of life distract forever.