WORDS FOR THOUGHT

If it wasn't for the last minute, nothing would get done."

We've all heard it. The statement is a cousin to "why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?" And the black sheep of the family is my personal favorite, "it takes pressure to make a diamond."

Maybe it's just the stress of the holidays.

Maybe I ponder too much (personally I think that myself and I shouldn't be allowed to talk – we tend to get each other into trouble).

A few days ago I sat at a stop sign waiting for a clearing of seemingly endless traffic and I wondered exactly what all of those people are doing.

I knew that my task was of the utmost importance. Who do these people think they are, getting in my way and slowing me down?

On family vacations and road trips, I always used to look at fellow travelers and wonder what their story was.

Were they simply going to or from work? Or were they covert agents on a secret mission?

It was a game I played in my head to make time go by faster, but I'm sure that if that question was answered from each vehicle there would be some very interesting stories.

Maryville is a relatively small town, which makes the hustle and bustle that much more surprising. Any time of day you can see countless vehicles heading here and there, going about their business.

Everything we do in life seems to come with a huge sense of urgency.

It reminds me of that commercial for the overactive bladder pills – "Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now!" In the commercial, a guy at a baseball game misses the big play because he absolutely has to hit up the urinal or risk leaving the ballpark with a stain on his pants.

I'm not trying to make light of a medical condition, but rather speak about the rat race of life.

To the ultimate frustration of my wife and kids and other family members, I really try to take my time with things.

This is in opposition to the constant rushing to get stuff done.

I'd like to say that my choice to slow down is because I'm wise and I make calculated moves, but I can't because that is far from the truth.

Just like everyone else, I float through this life with a mixture of using the rudder and hoping the wind is blowing in the right direction.

You don't always end up where you would have liked to be, and really there's nothing you can do about it.

Recently I read a line that really stood out to me, I'm not sure where I saw it. I can't quote it verbatim, but it was something about how we try to live in a linear world, and in reality our world is non-linear. I'm not a geometry or mathematics buff, but I think I grasp the concept.

I guess its human nature to try and control the flow of things, the tides of life.

It's the roll of these ebbs and flows that really throws me for a loop.

That's why I take my time as much as I can.

Again, I'd like to say that it's because I want to make sure I do the right thing, or that I don't forget things as we head out on a trip.

But again, I can't pretend that this the true reason.

I have to say that I take the extra time because I'm considering all possible outcomes of all possible choices, I don't want to be the one that overlooked some aspect.

Hard thinking can be a good trait, but it can also be a huge fault -- trust me, I live it every day, and I'm sure that I'm not the only one.

It seems to me that life might be a bit better in slow motion. We could make better choices to get better results.

Life throws too many variables, and I like to slow it down every opportunity I get.

It gives me more time to think.

Maybe that isn't a good thing. The last time I checked with myself, I remember that we collectively decided that we weren't supposed to make any more decisions together.

Jesse Murphy is managing editor at the Maryville Daily Forum and may or may not be quite as crazy as this may or may not seem. Your best chance is to ask you what you think. Padded rooms sound really comfy.