Although we are all one species, people are all different. We look different, with a range of skin colours depending on the climate; live in different parts of the world, from Arctic regions to rainforests to tropical islands to temperate continents; live in different types of houses, from thatched huts to cardboard slums to floating villages to high-rise apartments to homes of brick or wood; have different customs, eat different foods and wear different clothes. Some of us are very rich, some very poor, and many fall somewhere inbetween.
One thing we all have in common, though, is the amount of time that we have in each day. 24 hours, 1440 minutes.
Time is an elusive thing. It can't be bought or sold, stockpiled or put aside to use later. You can be a millionaire, but you have the same amount of time each day as the poorest slum dweller. Sure, your money can buy you better health, better food, a better home, and often, a longer life. But it still doesn't buy you any more time each day than any other inhabitant of this earth.
We have a tendency to forget this. Often, we drift along, comfortable in our rut, or ticking things off our "bucket list" if we are more aware of our mortality. We are often told to live in the moment, rather than agonise over the past or worry about the future. I think this is good advice. My mother is a worrier, and even at age 80, winds herself up into a state worrying about things that never happen. I try to not do this.
I'm a person who needs to have a Plan. In the absence of something to work towards, I drift along like a leaf in the wind, which I find very unsatisfying. I like to think that I'm making good use of my time each day, but then, I don't often stop to think about this.
What about you? Are YOU making good use of your 1440 minutes a day? Could you do better? I'm sure I could.
Dear Shirley
ReplyDeleteTo express the uselessness of worrying, Mark Twain apparently once said, "I've had a lot of problems in my life most of which never happened "
I quite like that twist!
Cheers
Donald
Shirley,
ReplyDeleteTime ... yes you are right, so right.
Time management is such an important thing, and you put it right into perspective that no matter how rich or poor we are, no matter where we live in the world - we all have the same amount of time available in which to enrich another person's life.
We all have the time to make life better or worse for those around us.
Is it time we all took the time to see the person near us who is crying out for help. Sometimes though, we don't see them as we are in too much of a rush, or in too much of a rut.
I liked your comment about worry ... it is such a waste of time!
You bet I could do better utilizing my time. It's been a real concern of mine for quite awhile, but I think when I was so sick off and on last year, I got into some habits that now I am finding really hard to break. Like you say, without a plan, I drift, and I've been having a time of it coming up with a new plan! It has helped, though, to really assess how I am spending my waking hours and realize that just because I'm not in the studio until late morning now, it does not mean I'm wasting the time prior to that. I'm just using it differently than I used to and putting in the studio time later in the day, and I think that is ok,, at least for now.
ReplyDelete