Building and Maintaining Life Momentum

It’s all in the timing.

Timing is important.  Timing is very, very important.  I love the jokes and good jokers and timing is crucial.  Oh really get the timing right and it’s like fireworks and celebrations.  Getting the timing just slightly out and the way it goes flat is worse than ginger beer going flat.  (Note: Ginger beer that goes flat is on that list of The Worst Things That Could Ever Happen To You.)

In as much as timing is all that, nothing beats momentum.  When I write, I like to set apart the time and space to get the writing done properly.  There are many times when I hit a flow and get in the swing of writing that can be like a tap turned on with the words being like the on rushing stream of water that should come from the aforementioned tap.  It is just wonderful to have the idea, start putting down a few words and then just let it keep going with the words and the thoughts as they come in the head.  Even when I stop because there is the zone that I’ve just entered, I know it won’t be long before I start writing again and until that time is over I can get more done than in hours worth of uninspired time trudging through a blog entry.

Momentum though is the key.  It is one of the most annoying things to do to me to stop me mid-flow with some inane request or need for something that is not as important as the flow that I’m on.  It is the hallmark of the Christ in me that the required backlash is overcome by the patient taking on board of the situation and sincere hope that the momentum can be resumed and then maintained.

I say this because this afternoon I had the pleasure of taking the girls out to the park in the company of my good lady wife.  Our park arrangement is simple.  Authrine sorts the big girls with the swings and I take Zoë for a walk in her pram around the park.  The bottom part of the park has a pathway that forms a circuit that takes us the best part of 15 minutes to get round.  (It should be quality texting/reading time for me as well, but sometimes just thinking and walking and praising God for my life is enough to keep me going.)

Anyway, this afternoon as we did the park thing, Abigail and Deborah decided to join me for the second circuit Zoë and I were doing.  As we walked Abigail inadvertently interrupted our walking flow which merited an encouraging word to refrain from further inadvertent interruptions.  (No, I never shouted at her, just a bit of the Dryden Eyes and a low, stern word to help her on her way.)  As we resumed and built up the walking pace I informed Deborah of that wonderful word momentum.  Deborah is now at that inquisitive stage where she asks what does that mean.  Now that was not the time to point her in the direction of the nearest dictionary (which would have been a fair distance away).  Rather I broke down as much as I could what momentum is.

As I walked with Zoë I looked at the importance of momentum, building and maintaining it, developing rhythm and adjusting around different obstacles to maintain the momentum.  Sometimes changing the pace and tempo is necessary to maintain the momentum and once that is done then whatever is the case can be accomplished relatively simply.  Note, though, the simple is accomplished through the building and maintaining of the momentum.

Same thing applies to life – not just me writing (thought it is crucial there).  Finding rhythm, developing momentum, having an idea of where you’re going, what you’re doing and how to adjust to life’s various obstacles is the difference between fullness of life and barely ticking over making the grades of that which is accepted by the norms of society.

I know that the past two years have been a challenge to my sense of life momentum.  Plenty of times when disruptions have knocked me off my stride and endeavoured to derail the process that I was on.  I’m aware that plenty of diversions and challenges may indeed threaten to stop or stifle any momentum you want to build up.

If it’s any consolation, I think momentum is rather important in life.  Not the be all and end all, but movement is rather good if we’re looking for kingdom values expressed.  I reckon that focus and reminder of it can help in the building and maintaining of momentum – in as much as it’s worked for me when various issues have reared their ugly mugs.  I cannot always keep going, but there is His continued presence that keeps me going on.

So if you haven’t got momentum behind you as yet, it might be worth reminding yourself of the purpose and outlet of life and gradually bit by bit finding, building and maintaining that momentum …

It’s all in the timing though.

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

dmcd