I relearned a fundamental truth about modern-day living while reading "Three Cups of Tea," by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.

(My son was assigned to read the book, and as encouragement, I raced him to the final chapter.)

Anyway, the story about a mountain climber-turned-school builder in an impoverished area of Pakistan is a must read.

And one particular passage had a profound effect on me.

Greg Mortenson wanted desperately to build a school but needed funding.

He wrote letters requesting donations and lived out of his car until he finally gathered the needed cash. He then flew to Pakistan, purchased supplies (not exactly a trip to Home Depot), then arrived in the village only to discover that he must first build a bridge in order to deliver the supplies.

Either that or use the makeshift crate-for-a-cable car on a pulley that crossed the raging many feet below.

After working hard to complete the bridge, he was more anxious than ever to get back to the big event, building the school.

Time was running out (winter was soon approaching he had to leave soon).

In his earnestness to get things done, on time and on budget, Mortenson started doing things the Western way, aka notching it up a bit.

At this point, the village leader took Mortenson up the nearby mountain (with Mortenson worrying about how much time the hike would take) and shared the deep-felt gratitude his village feels for Greg and all that is being done.

Then the village leader said, "You must do one more thing for me."

"Anything," Mortenson said.

"Sit down. And shut your mouth. You're making everyone crazy."

Letting go of his inner-control freak, Mortenson allowed the villagers to do things their way.

Three weeks later, all that remained to be done with the school was to put on the roof. Mortenson shared this about the village leader's advice:

"That day (he) taught me the most important lesson I've learned in my life. We (as) Americans think you have to accomplish everything quickly. We're in the country of 30-minute power lunches and two-minute football drills. (He) taught me to share three cups of tea, to slow down and make building relationships as important as building projects. He taught me that I had more to learn from the people I work with than I could ever hope to teach them."

In our go-go busy days, perhaps we can incorporate more of the slow down, build relationships way of doing things, like in that Pakistani village.

It's a familiar concept, and we know it in our minds but forget it in our souls.

We forget the value of looking someone in the eyes, of taking two more minutes to talk, listen and really hear their voice.