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June 10, 2004 — Poet, David Whyte, recalls looking into a meeting room and asking, ?Has anyone seen David?? The subsequent wild laughter alerted the one asking the question to his astonishing inquiry. He was the only employee named David; his harried lifestyle had caused him to lose track of himself.

Summer is a good time to establish a saner and more satisfying living pace, says Kirk Byron Jones, Ph.D., author of Addicted to Hurry: Spiritual Strategies for Slowing Down (Judson Press, 2003). Jones suggests the following summer slowdown strategies:

1. Plan Margin. Review your summer calendar. Make sure that there are several days a month in which you have planned absolutely nothing. The empty places will provide space for you to be free to do or not do whatever your heart desires.

2. Prioritize ?Your? Time. The best way to insure that your summer will be taken up frantically meeting the needs of others is to not have any designated pleasures of your own. Take responsibility for planning and enjoying recreation that you delight in.

3. Pace Yourself. Become aware of when you are thinking, talking, and moving fast. Ask yourself if there is a good reason for your hurry. If you answer ?no,? slow down. To gauge your current living speed, take The Hurry Test at www.savoringpace.com.

4. Prize Rest. Given its power to refresh and restore, rest is as important as labor.

Live out this truth this summer by overindulging in naps and nightly sleep. Allowing for more rest and relaxation will bring clarity and energy to your life. Moreover, you’ll be less likely to forget who and where you are.