Working in retail, I once had a boss who loved to yell at kids who were leaning. "Time to lean is time to clean" he'd say. I realize, he was just trying to get the store closed on time and keep teenagers from wasting his payroll, but, it is true nonetheless.
As a culture, we have become so accustomed to staring at a screen that we seem to have forgotten that there is more to life than entertainment. I taught my children to be present when someone is speaking to them. That screen will always be there, that person will one day meet his or her maker. Paying attention is the least we can do. Life is a vapor.
President Washington went further reminding us not to be in such a rush that we bump into furniture or create a "ruckus" as my Granny used to say. No running in the house is a timeless boundary that is all but lost these days. We have lost the art of taking our time in doing anything.
I am still in retail in my day job and I know, for certain, that children are not being taught these rules. Kids run in my store, take things off the shelves, and interrupt their parents. It is rude, it makes my job harder, and I sincerely want parents to corral their broods, as it were.
Below you will find the more modern version of this wise counsel from the young, future president.
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