TAKING TIME

It only took four hours door to door to get from home to my hotel in DC, courtesy of the Delta Shuttle and a cab driver from Afghanistan who strangely did not shoot through the streets like a drag racer on drugs.

Getting off the plane in Ronald Reagan National Airport, I was hurredly following the signs for ground transportation when an interesting question came to my mind. Why am I rushing?

Given the choice of several flights to get down here, I had purposely planned this trip so I had a couple of hours in the city before my friends arrived. There was no reason to be racing around like a lunatic - so I slowed down and took my time.

After checking into the hotel I got changed, put on my sneakers and went for a leisurely walk in the sunshine, enjoying the temperature of near 80, which was a welcome change from the rain on Long Island. Spotting a familiar sight on a street corner among the other stores, I grabbed a cup of coffee courtesy of a certain company originating in Seattle.

I sat at a table on the sidewalk, watched the world go by and enjoyed the overpriced beverage. When it was done, I prepared to move on, but thought better of it and went back inside for a 55c refill.

Okay, I did make a few calls while I sat there, but apart from that, doing nothing was absolutely amazing. I must do it more often. Eventually I did get up and walk another couple of miles, but taking time to smell the coffee was even better than I expected.