“Time waits for no one, and it won’t wait for me”. So lamented the Rolling Stones fifty years ago. There have been many great songs and prophetic sayings related to time, which makes sense since it occupies so much of our… well, time. Alongside oxygen, time is something we all really need, want, and simply must have.
But for many, time always seems to be in short supply. Time can represent the mundane continuum of our routines- the days, nights, work, home; the ritual. So it’s vital that we take (some) control of our own time, because, after all, without time, what have we got? Too busy to do things that you want/need- for your soul, sanity, or balance? Perhaps you can reboot, reassess, refresh, restart, restore; change things up.
When someone says, “I’ve been meaning to call you…”, I often think: that’s nice, but it implies that anything you do precludes you from following through with me, so perhaps I don’t rate as highly as whatever you spend time on. Texting and calling have never been easier than in our over-digitized world. “Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time’, is like saying, ‘I don’t want to’ ” (Lao Tzu).
Many people carry calendars on their phones, or at least can email/message themselves. So why suggest: “Let’s do lunch soon…” when bumping into a seldom seen acquaintance? Make plans then and there, for that stated, sincere desire to reconnect will undoubtedly drift into the vast wasteland of time.
Been meaning to attend a UH volleyball game? Then go. Been meaning to watch the waves roll in? Then do it. Been meaning to take a walk with your spouse? Now is the time. Much of life is happenstance; sometimes serendipity plays a role in how we end up spending our time. “You may delay, but time will not” (Benjamin Franklin).
Make time an ally by (re)gaining some control. Shake the humdrum routine, even if for only a short window; change patterns, trajectory, and perhaps even your perspective. Coming out of COVID (where we all had ample periods of down time) maybe we’ve learned just how precious time is. The angst of that awful, confining, asocial COVID window proved we must take time to make time. “The bad news is- time flies. The good news is- you’re the pilot” (noted speaker Michael Altshuler). Time to go.
Think about it…