Slow Down
April 2023
Hi, Michael
I hope you are having a fantastic Memorial Day weekend (in the US), and enjoying time with friends, family, and loved ones.
In 2019 I attended a concert by The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah with special guest Sissel. Among the several shows I've been to, from Radiohead to The Killers, to Blues Traveler and Neil Young...Sissell whom I'd never heard of was one of my favorite and most memorable.
It had to do with one particular number called Slow Down. I've linked to it here so you can listen if you'd like - this is the performance from the concert I attended.
Being there to experience this was unforgettable. It was one of those moments where you feel at complete peace. The combination of her performance, the arrangement by Sam Cardon, the pace, and the lyrics made for an unforgettable ten minutes of my life. It was also the most prolonged ovation I've ever witnessed!
Why did this song speak so deeply to me and to so many others at the concert? The invitation the song presents to slow down, for me is the answer. It has never been more difficult for me to slow down. It seems the chances to truly slow down diminish as the world speeds up each and every day. Yet slowing down in a fast-paced world that elicits much of the confusion and doubt we experience is vital for me to find peace. Over the last several months I've made it a point to take more time to slow down and my life has been better for it. So I pass the invitation or reminder on to you.
Perhaps this Memorial Day weekend could be a time to slow down for you. Hopefully, you have work off (or are retired) and are engrossed in family traditions, remembrance, and fun. But maybe also take this chance to slow down, listen, and gain perspective and additional peace.
So here's to a weekend of fun, time with those we love most...and hopefully a minute to slow down.
Michael