When you look at your blog and realize that several weeks have gone by since your last post, you are too busy! Consider this passage.

“We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth for someone else to spend.” Psalm 39:6 NLT

Well, I don’t know about the wealth part of that sentence. But, I find myself rushing around a lot lately. Perhaps I should slow down and enjoy what God is doing around me right now.

So, that is a little bit of what my beloved and I are doing right now. We are stopping (albeit we chose to “stop” in Maine instead of where we live) and we are spending some time reconnecting with one another and talking about some important things that we don’t always find the time to talk over at home.

Recently she was in the same room and she listened to me while I was on the phone with a very dear friend and thought-leader that I often use to bounce ideas around and see if any of them stick. We were discussing a writing project that I have and he was asking some pointed questions. My wife has not heard me discuss this project much and that conversation that she was able to listen in on has provided a golden opportunity for us to slow down from our busy lives and actually talk about some things that are important to each of us.

What is the leadership lesson here?

As leaders, we can allow ourselves to be overcome by the everyday events of life that have importance. We don’t wander off and do bad stuff. We just get busy doing “OK” stuff and even some good stuff. But, as leaders, we need to stop from time to time and take some time away from our everyday activities and determine if we are doing the “best” stuff.  We need to reconnect with those closest to us and get some time for the kinds of conversations that cannot take place as we fall into bed exhausted at the end of the day.

What is the benefit of slowing down a little?

The benefit is that you get to have some pretty deep and intimate conversations with the one who is the closest to your heart and who knows you best. They can provide insight and observations as you meander up and down the coast of Maine that you cannot get anywhere else. How valuable is that? Well, to me it is worth taking some days away from work, cashing in some airline miles and hotel points and hopping on a plane with the one that has been with me through the tough times and the good times.

It will get busy again when we get home. But right now, we are taking it slow and enjoying a few days that cannot be described as “busy.”