Under Grumpa's Hat

Every so often, the world takes its foot off the gas pedal and a moment hangs in the air a little longer than usual. Not long enough to change your life, but long enough for you to notice it. The cry of a loon across a still lake, the laughter of a child who thinks peek-a-boo is the height of comedy, the quiet that settles at dusk when even the mosquitoes seem to call it a day. These are the pauses that remind us not everything in life is meant to be rushed.

Of course, not every pause is serene. Sometimes time slows in ways that test our patience. Like waiting for a video to buffer, where one spinning circle feels like geological time. Or standing in line at the grocery store behind someone paying in nickels while carefully debating whether cucumbers are vegetables or fruit. (Spoiler: they are vegetables, but apparently it depends on whether you are a botanist, a chef, or a trivia-night enthusiast.)

Yet even in the absurd stretches of time, there is something to be said for being stuck. These pauses can sharpen our senses. Suddenly you notice the sound of your own breathing, the scuff of shoes, the way fluorescent lights hum like an out-of-tune choir. They force us to look around, to actually see the world instead of bulldozing through it like we are trying to win a race nobody asked us to enter.

Think about fishing. Cast the line, sit back, and wait. Time seems to stretch as you watch a bobber float. Nothing happens, nothing happens, and then, just when you are ready to swear off fishing forever, a trout strikes and suddenly it all makes sense. Those drawn-out moments are the very soil where anticipation grows.

Or take basketball. You watch the last thirty seconds of a close game. It should last half a minute, but thanks to timeouts, replays, and fouls, it drags on longer than a family reunion slideshow. The clock crawls, players pace, coaches shout like auctioneers, and you wonder if the game will finish before your next birthday. Time has a strange way of stretching when the stakes are high.

The truth is, our lives are stitched together not only by the fast, noisy chapters but also by the drawn-out silences between them. These pauses, whether in nature, in sport, or even in the checkout line, are where life sneaks in its reminders.

And here is the part that hits harder than expected. When time slows down, it is not the world pressing pause. It is God whispering, “Pay attention. This is where I am.” Sometimes in laughter, sometimes in stillness, sometimes in waiting. It is not about how fast we get through life, but how well we notice the moments that refuse to be hurried.