Feelin' Groovy

I don’t really know what Paul Simon was talking about when he wrote the, “The 59^th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy),” but I really like the line, “Slow down, you move too fast. You got to make the morning last.” I find myself singing it frequently. Often that line will just pop into my head. As if, I need that message every so often.

In the middle of the Brightwood golf course in Dartmouth, there’s a hill that (in winter) is perfect for sledding. It has a nice, long, gradual slope. You pick up speed but never too much. Contrast that with the break-neck speed one can achieve on the hills at Stonepark School. So, when I start singing at the Stonepark bowl, “Slow down, you move too fast,” it function more like a prayer.

If I’m careening down an icy hill on a small slat of waxed wood, or if life in general seems to be moving along too fast I know it’s time to start feeling groovy. It’s time to slow down. It’s time to get some perspective. It’s time to do Advent.

Advent is a penitential time, a bit like Lent. It is a time therefore, to acknowledge our sins and to commit to do better. However, more than that, both Lent and Advent inspire us to spend more time in quiet and meditation and to be open to God’s presence in our lives. That might mean shunning the shopping malls one day (or more) a week. That might mean choosing not to go in debt this Christmas. That might mean praying rather than another hit of eggnog. That might mean that life gets too fast sometimes and it’s time to slow down. “Just kicking down the cobblestones/Looking for fun and feelin' groovy.”