Taking the time...

A Time to Talk

When a friend calls to me from the road
And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don't stand still and look around
On all the hills I haven't hoed,
And shout from where I am, What is it?
No, not as there is a time to talk.
I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,
Blade-end up and five feet tall,
And plod: I go up to the stone wall
For a friendly visit. 

Robert Frost

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This poem by Robert Frost is a great reminder to simply take the time. The character in his piece is in the middle of hoeing his fields when, unannounced, his neighbor rides by and slows to a 'meaning walk'. Instead of staying planted in his position and shouted ' Hey, neighbor, what's up?' he sets the tool down and takes the time to talk. Some would find this a waste of time, but really, it is much more meaningful than field work. To do what the character did shows true interest in a fellow's day, and - when the world comes to an end - it will be much more important that he took the time to listen, instead of talk or work. For everything there is a season, and a purpose for everything under the heavens.