Refraction, Reflection, and Slowing Down
The photo above is an image of the Grand Prismatic Spring at Yellowstone National Park. I took that photo this past July while traveling with my family.
When I was in primary school, we had a school-wide and then a county-wide science fair each year. One of the first experiments I can remember doing involved refracting or bending light and experimenting with different media for its potential to bend or refract the light. For example, light going through water bends to a slightly different angle than water going through air.
This same principle is at work in prisms. Most common prisms add an extra dimension to my young science experiment by slowing down the light to disperse it into its constituent colors. In that process, white light becomes separated into the colors of the rainbow. It’s quite a beautiful sight to witness. The light is the same light, but by slowing it down and causing it to bend as it enters the prism and exits the other side, separates all the different colors of the light that were not as readily apparent upon entry.
I believe the same holds true when we carve out time to intentionally slow down. We live our lives with an incredible busy-ness that causes us and those around us to miss out on all the depth and color that fills our days. The blur of our lives comes into greater focus when we slow down, and take time to appreciate all the nuances of joy that saturate our days.
For instance, today I had a lot I was trying to do–including writing this blog post. But, a different points of the day I slowed down. What emerged were points of connection with several friends, major work projects moving forward, fitness, faith, a walk with family, and a song on the guitar with my daughter in some of these slowed moments.
Each day, every one of us stewards an opportunity to slow down and savor the rich colors that comprise our lives. Contrary to what circumstances may lead us to feel, we actually do have a choice to take a moment here and there to breathe, to reflect, and to savor. May each of us take time to slow down and appreciate the richness of our lives for the goodness of the world and for the strengthening of our souls.