Summer Pace

The air is heavy and dense with humidity, hanging on your skin and slowing your steps. My usually brisk work day pace giving way to the recognizable stroll of the south. This, I believe, is the reason for the southern drawl and our famous (or at least infamous) lazy pace. When the very air creates resistance to your movement, you might as well take a moment to smile at that stranger or stop to chat with the neighbor. You're not going anywhere fast anyway. And when you do, you learn you're getting where you're going anyway.

Of course, air conditioning is changing that. You keep moving to get to that blessedly cool air, to breathe a little more easily. I'm not going to shake my fist at technology. I am glad for the relief of air condition and remember the years I lived without it with a touch of awe. But, I want to remember the natural rhythm of life too, the value of a slower pace now and again.