Get out of my way!! Move along!! Can you hurry up? Come on!! For goodnes sake!!
I was lining up at a grocery store on a Sunday all relaxed, all day to get a couple things done but mostly to enjoy my day off and the beautiful summer weather later in the backyard. There was a "typical old lady" paying for her groceries, a "large man"; tall and heavier set in front of me then me in line. The "little old lady" got easily confused with the cashiers impatient requests, she needed time to process and then execute what she needed to do. "I need another nickel!"; demanded the cashier. Now the "little old lady" had to translate what a nickel was, where in her purse her change resided and then find and present it under pressure. In the meantime, the "large man" made very sure that everyone knew just how annoyed he was with the whole situation. Noises, faces, loud sighs, looking at everyone trying to find an understanding audience. I wondered had it been not for the "large man" if the cashier would have been more allowing.
This made me wonder where else have we become impatient? What I realized was, it is everywhere. Even on vacation! Fast food, speed dating, fast response from computers, phones, people; if we don't get an answer to our text message within 10 minutes we are sure the person must have been in a horrible accident. Instant dinner, instant coffee, instant information. No time to talk, read (you can tell this from how spelling has become phonetic even by adults), eat, relax. We are burned out, frazzled, hurried, snappy with our kids, parents, strangers.
Stress has now become our number one health risk. This fast pace is killing relationships, our sense of community, compassion, sleep; it is killing us. We take meds for high blood pressure, for high cholesterol, for depression, for sleep, to stay awake. It has become truly ridiculous.
In an answer to this a new industry is rising and is becoming more and more popular. The natural health approach. Healing with good food from farmers markets, the farm to table concept in restaurants, self care, integrative medicine, spiritual practices, more and more healing centres. CEOs practicing meditation, companies hosting spiritual workshops for employees. More and more organic, sustainable, humane, drug and/or chemical free products on the shelves as public demand is rising.
I hope that there is hope. I hope that eventually we can let the "little old lady" take her time at the cash because we will ease into a compassionate observance, maybe even produce the 5 cents on her behalf with a smile.