Push Pause.

There is a crosswalk in the middle of town that no one stops for. There can be people waiting there for a good ten minutes to cross while cars rush by in their hast.

There is a four way stop less than a mile up the road, near a group of schools, where no one waits for their turn. If there is a shortcut or a small window of opportunity...they will take it.

Many fly through yellow lights when they know they won't make it through before it turns red.

Many cut in front of people when they KNOW the other person will have to step heavily on their brakes to allow them access.

What has happened to us?

It is like we all are flung out of a slingshots as soon as we rise in the morning and we can't stop the trajectory of our flights.

We are flying through life out of control, with our mouths flung open and with muffled screams unavoidably coming from our throats. Our eyes sting from the wind, so much so, we have lost sight of what is important. Is it no wonder when diabetes is thrown into the mix we become flying lunatics?

One small thing. It only takes one small thing to give that slingshot enough power to fling us out of the stratosphere.

* One high blood sugar that came out of left field.

* One night when you catch a low you weren't even planning on checking for.

* One day when you realize your child's pump is out of insulin.

* One second when you realize you forgot to order supplies.

* One minute when you remember you didn't have your child check their sugar before they began eating dinner.

There is a thousand scenarios...and only one problem. We aren't keeping our feet on the ground. We are running our lives in fast forward.

We need the presence of mind sometimes to just push pause.

Pause and stop the madness. Our brains are fickle. They like to get caught up in the chaos. They like to bring things to the next level, and then the next, and then to the next...

Our brains like to THINK about everything!

They like to ANALYZE everything!

They like to WORRY about everything!

We need to stop the madness and push pause.

How can we do that?

I've been thinking of ways all morning. You see, last week I was shot out of a cannon and have just only today realized I didn't consciously step up and do something to stop the madness. I let the strength of the TNT of life take me on the dangerous flight. A ride that had me flailing my arms and left me with the feeling that I have lost control over all that is good.

'Cause when you are flying through the air without anything to keep you grounded...the only feeling one is left with is despair.

And that is where I was. Too much going on for me to take the time to look for that parachute that could get me back to earth.

But today, as I was driving home from dropping off the boys, I did something crazy.

I slowed down.

I turned off the radio.

I sat in silence and watched the world race around me and I realized...I could have stopped it.

I just needed to press pause.

What would pressing pause look like for you? For me it was finding some silence.

For me it might even look like a long bath. Or a good book.

Things that I don't allow myself the pleasure of slowing down for. Things that I say to myself won't make that much of a difference because it won't actually take the troubles away. Sure, maybe they won't...but they will give me the time I need to rediscover all that is good in my life. And not surprisingly, that isn't a hard thing to do. The good FAR FAR FAR outweighs the bad.

I just needed to press pause for 10 minutes to find it.

The video below doesn't have much to do with this post, but I thought about it as I was writing. I take so much for granted, and I think it has a lot to do with my frustrations and letting things get to me. Perspective is everything...