marinate or microwave?

’m finding that the more “mature” (aka: OLDER) I am getting, I am watching the generations as they fly by.
I talk to my Unc, one of the few surviving World War II vets, who, without all his ‘tech’ help, my books, my book, Loose Screws and Skinned Knees,  and in edit form And Yet Another Day, and blogs would not be possible. With Barb, his  wonderful and equally wise wife, at his side, they give me sage advice I need for the days ahead, as well as putting pieces of my past and the pieces that I missed, together. I cherish our chats – I just wish we didn’t live in opposite corners of the U.S. ! Thanks, Unc and Barb, for everything. I’ll never be the same.
I watch my older sister’s generation – in a sense almost a generation older than me. She has different takes, different styles, different understandings of how things are or maybe might be. After all, she grew up when most of us had “Leave It To Beaver” homes, where respect and obeying your elders was a given, and not questioned. She didn’t know what it was like to come home to an empty house when both parents were working. She and my brother grew up in the throes of the Vietnam War, while I came at the tail end. Even those experiences are felt a bit different – after all, she knew the heartache of loved ones being drafted. But, we all knew loved ones lost.
My generation? One word comes to mind: “fluid”. We learned to go with the flow, as the 60’s ended and 70’s emerged. We tested our parents and elders and pushed them to their limits, I’m sure! In many ways, we still are. At a recent reunion, is was good to see that as ‘fluid’ as we are, we are still the same. We have remained true to ourselves, and true to our values.
As our kids came along, the boundaries began to blur. Technology was in its infancy, and they were the generation to begin to be raised to be comfortable with it. (Even though both my kids say they are LIGHT YEARS behind today’s kids!) With technology came the expansion of knowledge. (I wish it could be said it was all good.) But, for the most part, it has. It has enlightened, enlarged, empowered…….but it has also brought a sense of everything “fast”: fast food, instant potatoes vs. baked; GPS, self-driving cars – who knows where it will take us in the future?
And that’s what brought me to today’s words. When I read them this morning, they LEAPT off the page. We are at a cross-road: are we going to keep living our lives totally expecting things to be “Microwaved”  (and grateful for its instantaneous cooking!) or will we find the balance and the unlimited flavor combinations of marinating our lives? Will we expect things in our lives to be fixed “instantly” with our kids or in our relationships or marriages? Will we keep rushing around faster and faster like the speed of new I-phones?
Or maybe, just maybe, will we see the Wisdom when the Word and our lives say: slow down; think; smell; sleep; wonder; or read? Maybe marinate for a bit and work towards our passion and dreams yet unrealized;and maybe  give yourself permission to do ‘nothing at all’ for a day?
What’s is going to be?  Will we be the ones to teach the present and future generations the meaning of  MARINATE  or MICROWAVE?