Use of Time

Oh, I’m slowly but surely teaching myself an important life skill that I’ve never considered honing until lockdown.

It takes time, effort, and real intentionality to become efficient—to live life in a manner that is well managed in respect to time. Not in a cutting-corners kind of way but in a no nonsense, cut the lallygagging and git ‘er done way of being. At one point I did feel that attainment was within my grasp. But then life happened.

Maybe you too have found that polished efficiency frees up some of your daily 24 for other pursuits. Or perhaps gives you an edge as you accomplish even more because of it. But let me flip this before I veer too far from what’s on my mind at this moment.

There’s a fine art of being in the moment no matter what you’re engaged in, from slicing strawberries for your smoothie or walking from point A to point B, or rocking a newborn baby in your arms. All too often we might unwittingly race past the miniature miracles in our attempt to attain more efficient actions. Please take this in context of my intent. I am referring to your one glorious life. Yes, our work deadlines may be an entirely different animal but I pray you are not always at “work” but often at wonder.

For someone who has always had an eye for detail and minutia I’ve recently been surprised at how much of those two quantities I’ve been missing on my merry way to somewhere else. The skill I’ve been honing would appear to be the polar opposite of efficiency but it’s not really. For me it’s been taking equal effort to attain.

A clock will slow down when its battery life is fading or it has not been wound. It can’t muster up the energy or enthusiasm to keep going like we can. It needs that battery inserted into it. What we need inserted into us is a reminder that we may miss the wonder of this one glorious life if we neglect to intentionally insert some mindfully slowed down time into each day. Yeah, that’s a mouthful.

My own words to myself on this Friday in March 2021? Go forth and find wonder wherever you can.