October’s arrival signals Texas’ official goodbye to summer with cooler temps. The change in the air is seasonally certain so let the countdown to Thanksgiving and Christmas begin because retailer ads are pending placement. The shift in season also reminds drivers to proceed cautiously since student buses return to roadways jammed with traffic.

With interconnectedness to nature and each other, we, ultimately, bear responsibility. For example, a driver not only assumes responsibility for self but passengers, pedestrians and other motorists when behind the wheel of a car. Traveling at speeds exceeding pre-established limits could very well compromise the safety of others.

Recent conversations with youth confirm generational gravitation to all things fast is still fancied. When surveying them about areas of life where speed is a necessity, elementary school youth ranked tech, cars and food at the top of their lists. One Sunday School attendee looked at me incredulously, asking ‘who wants to go slow?’ I was quick to caution that the RoBERTa speed applicable to the transformer-based language model, is not favorable in every situation. Similarly, the fastest route to a destination may not be the safest.

An eight-year-old solidified his understanding of the responsibility he bears as a connected friend with a recount of a foot race at school. Following the start, the youth looked back and returned to aid a classmate who suffered a hard fall. Despite the mishap, the boys completed the race together, however. It’s not always front and center how quickly the finish line is crossed but the selfless way in which it’s done. While golf has long held the title of slowest sport, it retains massive global popularity.

What a treat our youth are in for when they experience and embrace the fruit a slow methodical approach yields. After all, words like presto should be limited to magicians and microwaves. Let’s continue to support youth in their discovery of appreciation for the good things in life that lack the Internet’s instantaneous gratification.

The 12–14-pound centerpiece of the traditional American Thanksgiving dinner calls for at least three hours of cooking time to reach its succulent peak and the first-generation iPad wasn’t built in a millisecond. French playwright, Moliere, sums it best: “the trees that are slow to grow bear the best fruit.”

Shari Wright, UU Education Coordinator