Day 6 – “TIME”
During the month of April, I’m writing 30 Words for 30 Days: Thoughts from Six Feet Away, one topic per day. Find out why here.
“TIME”
In recent weeks, it seems that our whole concept of time has been thrown off.
It’s as if someone dropped our internal clock on the floor and now the gears have jumped out of alignment.
What is a day anymore? Or a week?
How often have you asked yourself “what day is it?” and literally couldn’t find landmarks in your schedule to get your bearings?
On top of everything else, it can be really unsettling.
Almost like experiencing the time equivalent of zero gravity, with none of the usual foundations to lean upon.
Freed Up
One thing is for sure. Even for the busiest person’s schedule has suddenly freed up.
And for those willing to take advantage of it, there is a lot be gained from this “freeing”.
One of my favorite visuals of time and what’s important is that of a jar that’s to be filled with sand and rocks.
My wife Janette used this illustration beautifully years ago and I still go back to it.
The rocks represent what’s important. The sand is more what’s trivial.
If you try to put the sand in first, the rocks won’t all fit.
But if you start with the rocks first… what’s important… the sand will all fit as well.
In our current state, everyone’s jar has just been completely emptied of both sand and rocks.
They are all spread across the table in front of us, ripe for investigation.
A Crucial Moment
We are at a crucial point in our lives right now.
While our jar is still empty, we have an opportunity to pick what is really important and what’s not.
Maybe before the world screeched to a halt, we were running at a break-neck pace, with family activities, work, meals, homework, kids, friends, volunteering, and more.
And yet we felt empty. Staring at a full jar with rocks that wouldn’t fit.
Yearning to find time for what mattered most and yet already overloaded.
If you’re in this boat with me, then consider this a gift.
A chance to start over.
It’s Up To You
Once things pick back up, and they will pick back up, it will happen quickly.
You’ll look back on this time and miss the slowness, the relaxed pace, the time for what was important.
Or will you?
Maybe… just maybe… you could make a new start.
Maybe you could take some of that sand and just dump it.
Maybe you could take some of the unimportant impostor rocks and toss them into the river.
Maybe you have the opportunity… right now to re-frame your life.
While things are still slow, carve out the time to make those difficult decisions.
What will stay? What will go?
You get to decide.
Take a deep breath, go for a walk, pray and then start pruning out what doesn’t belong in that jar.
Consider it your gift to your future self.
You’re worth it.