Make Time to Take Time
A couple of nights ago, we were on our way home and decided (uncharacteristically) to swing by McDonald's and pick something up from the drive-thru. As we approached it, I let out a little gasp -- they had double drive-thru lanes.
Maybe I'm just a country bumpkin who doesn't go through drive-thrus very much, but is this a new thing? I've never seen two drive-thru lanes. They had to have a traffic light so that, after ordering, you could know who was supposed to proceed to the window first.
In this age of instant gratification and grab-and-go food, are we so impatient we can't even wait in one line to pick up our lunch at a window?
Is this constant going, going, going really worth it? At the end of our life, it won't matter how much we pack into a day, but it will matter how well we have lived.
Take time today to stop and smell the roses.
Take time to look into the faces of your loved ones and tell them how much you love them.
Take time to laugh, to smile, and to breathe.
Make the time to take time.
Maybe I'm just a country bumpkin who doesn't go through drive-thrus very much, but is this a new thing? I've never seen two drive-thru lanes. They had to have a traffic light so that, after ordering, you could know who was supposed to proceed to the window first.
In this age of instant gratification and grab-and-go food, are we so impatient we can't even wait in one line to pick up our lunch at a window?
Is this constant going, going, going really worth it? At the end of our life, it won't matter how much we pack into a day, but it will matter how well we have lived.
Take time today to stop and smell the roses.
Take time to look into the faces of your loved ones and tell them how much you love them.
Take time to laugh, to smile, and to breathe.
Make the time to take time.
posted by Crystal Paine at 2:26 PM
10 Comments:
hmm I've never seen a McDonald's with 2 drive-thrus but I have seen other places with two.
I swore off Wal-Mart and most fast food places a while back because of some of the reasons you listed. Besides their greedy, unChristian business practices, they are just too cheap. It cheapens life. I believe in quality of quantity. I can’t really find any beutay in shopping or eating at places like Wal-Mart and fast food.
*beauty
Is this in Witchita?
Wow. I think it's the sedentary lifestyle. My little brothers both worked at McD's, it was their first job, and they saw some of the same people 4-5 days a week!
I went to High School with some of the richest people in Missouri, and these kids NEVER ate meals with their parents. That was a HUGE thing in our family, to the extent that even today, as two of us are adults, we still have Sunday Dinners together. The kids I went to school with had ACCOUNTS with restaurants. They ate out every day...alone or with friends.
It's a sad circumstance that we can't eat together anymore, or that we rely on the drive through attendent for conversation.
Here is a tip. Eating out doesn't have to cost that much. If me and my son go to get at my work (Cracker Barrel) and we both get the Kid's meal vegetable plate, it is only $6.40 for the two of us. That includes drinks. Fast food can't really beat that in taste or price. Plus Cracker Barrel has unlimited cornbread and biscuits.
How many times have you gone to a restaurant and gotten way too much food to eat at once? Getting a kid's meal is not only cheaper, but the portions are better. The Friday Fish at Cracker Barrel is 7.99 plus tea or a fountain drink is 1.59. Getting the kids fish fry is 4.59, and it includes a drink.
Your point is well-made, Crystal, and yours, too, Ash. Michele (is that you, Mrs. B? I'm not sure, and I'm used to using the honorific with you), I know exactly what you mean, because by nature I'm an impatient person and I do just want to get home! :) But I've made peace (so to speak) with that fact that some things just take time whether I like it or not, so I try to see it as a chance to practice patience, which admittedly is hard sometimes. :)
sidenote on fastfood: when I met my fiance, he had the most horrible diet. He'd been single and on his own for 12 years, and ate nothing but fastfood and frozen dinners-- yuck! Nary a vegetable in sight! So I put the kibash on that, and neither of us eat fast or convenience food.
Ooh Jess, good point. We always ate as a family growing up-- 6pm sharp, every night! And we never accepted phone calls during dinner, either (I had to train fiance that it's ok to NOT pick up the phone...). With the exception of one of my friends, I can't think of any family that did that, too; most of my friends thought it was weird that we all ate at the same time. Anyone else notice that those people who grew up without a family dinnertime have deplorable table manners? (another thing I'm working on with fiance... at his request, which makes me feel less naggy) :)
I'm sure there are two-lane fast food joints (we have this, too) because it will benefit the company. I doubt McDonalds is losing money. They can just get that many more people through, therefore, more profit!
Same with Wal-mart. Our good is not there major concern! Had you heard Wal-mart plans to start offering health insurance! Oh my!
I have seen them, but never actually in use. Whenever we have gone through a drive-thru, only 1 lane has ever been operational.
If that particular McDonald needs two windows than I think it is a wise business decision. If you have a lot of customers you need to accomodate them. Just like if you have a lot of people moving into an area you need to improve your road system to accomodate all the traffic (something NJ needs to work on). Come to think of it, at lunch, you may have a lot of traffic wrapping around the Mcdonalds there and this would be able to keep that congestion down and move the line along faster. Sometimes at our Mcdonalds in town, at lunch, there are so many cars that you can hardly park because of the long drive-thru line.In our tiny town we have the smallest McDonalds I have ever seen. The only other fast food place we have is Dunkin' Donuts. They are creeping in, though. A Wendy's and Burger King is in plans for the next town.
We rarely go to fast food places but when we do it is because it is convenient and fast not because we are looking for atmosphere.
Ash, I agree, Wal-Mart is sure ugly, but it is cheap. I can get my razors at Wal-Mart for two dollars cheaper than Rite Aid. To me it is worth it to shop for cheaper things. I never buy clothes there. In my experience, after one wash, they become the incredible shrinking clothes. :)
I do agree with Crystal's point, however. We should take the time to slow down and smell the roses.
-Zan
Not defending Walmart because I don't like shopping there. They are cheap and now lack family values ever since Sam Walton died.
I work there. I don't care if you bash it. I bash it. It's an alright place to work. I'm a cashier. I go to work do my job and come home. I'm going to start shopping for food there becuase it is now cheaper than the grocery store around the corner of my house. Unfortunately my 10% discount doesn't go towards grocery items.
I don't buy fabric or clothes there because they fall apart during the first wash. Very very cheap. I'd rather spend the extra cash and have my clothes last longer than that.
I used to like Walmart. I used to be able to go in there and pick something off the shelf and it would be made in America. Now I can't do that. Since Sam Walton died the kids sent everything over to China to be made or something like that.
I'm an isolationist at heart so I stopped buying at Walmart.
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