A Change of Pace

I found this simple message very profound and as applicable to me as it is
to others.

A CHANGE OF PACE

According to a Greek legend, in ancient Athens a man noticed the great
storyteller Aesop playing childish games with some little boys. He laughed
and jeered at Aesop, asking him why he wasted his time in such frivolous
activity.

Aesop responded by picking up a bow, loosening its string, and placing it on
the ground. Then he said to the critical Athenian, "Now, answer the riddle,
if you can. Tell us what the unstrung bow implies."

The man looked at it for several moments but had no idea what point Aesop
was trying to make. The moralist explained, "If you keep a bow always bent,
it will break eventually; but if you let it go slack, it will be more fit
for use when you want it."

So it is with us. Our minds and bodies are like the bow. When constantly
under pressures of everyday life, we can eventually break. We need to
loosen up; we need time to take the pressure off and relax.

Former baseball pitcher Dutch Leonard might have put it a little
differently. He once said that the secret of great pitching is not speed or
the ability to throw curves. It's the 'change of pace.' The average batter
will soon learn to hit a pitcher who continually throws the same kind of
pitch. But it's hard to hit against a pitcher who changes the pace of
delivery. That change of pace gives a pitcher the edge over the best of
batters.

A change of pace likewise gives us an edge in life. Taking time to watch
the clouds, enjoy a breeze, take a walk, read or just slow down is necessary
if we are to be our best later. And a regular day of rest is as important
as regular sleep. It's a way of taking the pressure off.

To be your best, make sure you change your pace. It may just be the change
you need.

By Steve Goodier