OPINION —
Fifty years ago, Clyde Reid blessed me with his book, “Celebrate the Temporary.” Rereading it half a century later was a second blessing. The insights of his pilgrimage remain as relevant today as they were in 1976.
He invites his readers to “live more fully” in the present hour rather than focusing on the future or the past. He teaches us how to relax more in today’s temporary experiences by “really tasting our food, really feeling our pain, really seeing a single flower.”
Reid’s conclusions are his reactions to the tendency to live in the fast lane, “not really tasting, smelling, seeing, feeling or hearing.” His goal is to help those of us who have lost touch with our senses and feelings.
Reid reached me. I felt he was talking to me. So much so that one of the great themes of my preaching and writing has been to live in the now, live today, enjoy the stirring moments of every hour. To do that one must not hang on to pains of the past or waste time wishing for a better tomorrow. Every day I look for “holy moments” when I am experiencing the grace of God.
The author’s insights are not profound; they are so simple a child can catch his meaning. Here’s an example:
“Don’t wait until all the problems are solved. Live in the now with all its problems and its agonies, with its joy and its pain. Celebrate your pain, your despair, your anger. It means you’re alive. Look closer, breathe deeper, stand taller, stop grieving the past. There is joy and beauty today. It is temporary, here now and gone. So, celebrate it while you can.”
He invites us to celebrate the gift of breath and thank God for it. He even asks his reader to put his book down for five minutes, and “give yourself the gift of five minutes of breathing.” Then celebrate your life-giving breath.
I am challenged by Reid’s invitation to become more aware of the “beauty around me.” I need to strengthen my awareness level and learn how to celebrate the temporary by giving “my total attention to a flower, or a leaf or a tree.”
I did that. In my front yard is a young poplar tree. My son Tim helped me plant it after a storm destroyed two aging oak trees. Now five years old, the tree is growing fast, as Tim, a forester, said it would. I sat still, relaxed and focused on its beauty, its color and its shape, letting the tree call out of me a sense of wonder and appreciation for this gift of God. I thanked God for the joy of having watched the tree grow from six feet to more than 40 feet. I celebrated my poplar tree and felt good about taking the time to become more aware of the tree’s beauty.
Reid says if you wish to work toward celebrating the temporary with your whole self, three things, incredibly simple things, are necessary: “One is relaxing. The second is breathing. And the third is depriving yourself by turning off the sound of your voice in order to allow your senses to emerge.” He explains why: “Our bodies are amazing vehicles. They can carry tensions around inside them, locked into the muscles, for years and years. These tensions — the result of anger, fear, grief — can block us from perceiving the beauty around us, the support of the earth, the warmth and love of others. So, it is essential to learn how to relax and release the tensions that block us from the full experiences of life — with all our senses.”
As for breathing, Reid simply suggests that we take a few deep breaths, and celebrate the temporary in the smell of coffee perking, the smell of bacon cooking, the taste of an orange, the smell of a rose and the touch of a child’s hand.
As I have grown older, music has become more important to me. I completely agree with Reid about the difference it makes to truly listen to a song that inspires me. Reid suggests this: “Celebrate the temporary by lying on your back on the floor in the dark and listen, really listen to a beautiful piece of music, not doing anything else but listening with every fiber of your being.”
Reid offers many other helpful insights about ways to celebrate the temporary. I hope my brief and temporary summary will inspire you to slow down, become more aware of the beauty around you, and find new joy in celebrating the temporary, but often beautiful, realities of your life.
