Those who recall when The Andy Griffith Show first aired on TV are probably “old” like me. In the years that have gone by since Mayberry’s arrival we’ve realized there are timeless lessons to be learned from Andy, Opie, Barney, Aunt Bea, and the rest of the gang. In recent years I have harnessed some of what I learned from Mayberry to restore peace and rest in my life.

I lived in Southern California for 13 years working with several thriving non-profit organizations that were fast-paced and bursting with great ideas, products, and fantastic people. I know what it’s like to be surrounded by type-A people. I am not one. I loved the exhilaration of working at break-neck speeds, leaping hurdles together, brainstorming with electrifyingly good results, and just getting a lot done—at least for awhile. After a period of sprinting, I saw the need to slow down. I discovered renewal and refreshment in my life by declaring a Mayberry Day.

Rule #1. I will not hurry! (And I will not hurry everyone else around me.)

Think about Andy, Opie, Barney, and Aunt Bea sitting on the porch on Sunday afternoon alternately singing snippets of hymns, being quiet, and chatting about extremely ordinary things.

On a Mayberry Day I move slowly—in every way. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. If possible, I sleep in until I want to get up. I give up multi-tasking for a day. Instead I try doing one thing from beginning to end and then start the next thing. (Answer honestly. When was the last time you did anything from beginning to end without interruption and not in conjunction with several other things happening simultaneously? Sleep does not count!) Sometimes I sit quietly (no music, TV, magazine, or book to read) and enjoy the simple contentment of doing nothing.

When in public I quit being impatient with other drivers and the people in front of me in line who are moving at a snail’s pace. I choose to quiet down inside, look at these people with kindness, and decide that I can accept things that do not go at my preferred pace. I am doing less and enjoying it more by the middle of the day.

Sometimes I cook something from scratch, watch a funny movie, exercise longer, or do whatever will help me wind down from the usual pace. I could not begin to catalog the many ideas and solutions (personal, professional, and practical) that have surfaced during times of quiet and unencumbered activity. I’m convinced that we’ve short-circuited many healthy processes in our spirits, minds, and bodies by skating across the surface of life at top speed, constantly multi-tasking—and missing the deeper, savoring aspects of moving more slowly. We need breaks. We need stillness.

On a Mayberry Day I will do whatever it takes to restore my strength, health, and inner focus. The idea is to completely decompress and be still. I consider this an open door for God to have access to me in an undistracted state. I’ve discovered that I can miss many important things while moving quickly through life. He restores our bodies, souls, and relationships in a unique way when we’re moving quietly in his presence.

“He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:2, 3, New American Standard Bible).

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands” (I Thessalonians 4:11, NASB).

Think about the earnest apologies Otis and Barney exchanged at the Mayberry courthouse on many occasions after getting on each others’ nerves and behaving badly. They knew what to do when they’d blown it with each other. We even saw Andy apologize to Opie.

When I was growing up, my parents and grandparents were united in teaching me and my sister to have excellent manners and to treat every other person we met with respect. My grandmother did many extraordinary things to prepare us for every eventuality, including how to behave and eat in front of royalty if we ever met any. (So far I have not—but you never know.) There is much more to courtesy than knowing which fork to use or how to fold a linen napkin. Courtesy is founded in an awareness of other people and the ability to consider their needs and comfort.

Strong remnants of the courtesies I was taught still live in my middle-aged self. But when I take a Mayberry Day, I discover I’ve often drifted toward the impatient, rude, angry, and selfish. This shows up the most when I’m driving. But it also appears when I’m buying something at a store and do not get the speed and customer service I think is reasonable to expect. On my Mayberry Day I slow down, look at the people around me, pray for them, and try to create a new set of responses (internally and externally) that reinstate civility and good manners. On occasion I hopefully manage to reflect my Savior. I want to retrain myself to see other people as valuable human beings, not as obstacles to my progress in traffic or at the store. It’s disheartening to see how ugly things become when I’m moving quickly and have developed relational tunnel vision. One thing we learned from our friends in Mayberry is that everyone is precious, important, and deserving of our respect. Once I find my way back to a Mayberry state of mind, peace reigns again.

“If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men” (Romans 12:18).

“The King will answer and say to them, “Truly I say to you, to the extent you did it to one of these brothers of mine, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40).

Stop for a moment and imagine the dialogue in Mayberry being rewritten into current day “sound bytes.” Pretty disorienting, isn’t it? One of my favorite Mayberry scenarios included Andy sitting on Opie’s bed while Opie gets ready to say his prayers and go to sleep. But first they had a few things to talk over. Andy asked questions, then he listened and learned.

Are you a good listener? Do you look like you’re listening when you’re not? When was the last time you gave another person your whole attention while he spoke to you? Did you ponder what he told you after the exchange was over?

Not long ago I went out on the front porch swing with my great nephew Gavin, then about two years old, so that we could hang out together, away from the crowd of relatives in the house. It was heartwarming and enlightening to listen to him, his thoughts, what he’s concerned about, happy about. Then I asked him if he wanted to sing, and so we did! We sang “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” about 10 times in a row. The repetition was delightful, not boring at all. We were connected and enjoying each other completely.

Children often develop their ideas, values, faith, and emotional well-being by having the chance to voice what’s inside them to another person who is truly listening and loves them unselfishly. This helps to produce healthy men and women, and it facilitates our ability to relate openly to our heavenly Father.

Thankfully, I grew up with many adults who were attentive listeners. It was considered rude (and unacceptable) to interrupt someone while she was talking. On a Mayberry Day I conduct a self-check to see how I’m doing in this department. I want to listen to those around me (young and old), to honor them, and enjoy the delights of really knowing other human beings at a deeper level. This cannot be traded for any sound byte.

“Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, you know it all” (Psalm 139:4).

“Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him” (Psalm 62:8).

Scripture, our first source of guidance for life, consistently displays the importance of pulling away from the fray and being still before God. Let’s find creative ways to follow this biblical model. Let’s make a lifelong commitment to protect quietness, stillness, and rest. These few points from a Mayberry Day are only a beginning. But I hope that you find a way to sometime soon retreat to Mayberry for a moment, a day, an evening, an afternoon. |L