This was the question posed by the WordPress wizards in a recent daily prompt that I didn’t respond to.
I resisted the urge, until now, to provide my response to this question.
Which, of course, was “Duh!”
This, folks, could be looked at as a dumb question or it can be looked at as a question which was in dire need of context. Or, it’s a question that stoners ask each other when their high is ratcheting up and they’re lying in the grass next to each other, waxing philosophical about it.
The argument I make here is that it’s a foregone conclusion that I, along with every other human being on Planet Earth, needs time. I think the far more pressing question for us all, is if we had the time we wanted to have, what would we do with it?
True confession from the era in which I was working full-time and raising two young kids with Mr. NOA: I would sometimes fantasize as I was driving to and fro during my workday that I’d get in an accident. Ironically, I struggle with driving anxiety, but when it was just me and the open road, the fantasy would come through, completely unbidden. The car accident I’d have would not be a major one, mind you. Just enough to put me out of commission for say, a week. A week to recover. To physically and mentally rest. To not be a responsible adult for a bit. To read books and flip through magazines. To give myself a manicure. Stuff like that. To re-charge and return back to my normal routine refreshed. As this was a fantasy, I didn’t have to consider that I might be in pain or completely immobile and unable to care for myself physically.
It’s been years and years since this fantasy has made an appearance.
Yet, I have a rather long list of things I want to do rattling around in my head if I had more time. We all do, right? I think the trick is to accept that there literally isn’t enough time in the world to do every last one of these things. To find peace with it. I believe it’s really a matter of making time for doing the things that light us up the most. The things that bring us joy and positive energy. To be intentional about it.
Writing is that thing for me. Well, the biggest one anyway. I’ve been doing a lot more of it via The Artist’s Way workbook, though not for this blog. The blog has fallen by the wayside, but that’s ok. After 8 years doing this, I’m still into it, but I know that taking a sabbatical from it was most certainly not the end of the world.
Back to what I’d do if a magic “Time Fairy” granted me a boatload of time?
A short list:
- Learn how to play my ukulele
- Crafting (you would not believe how many Facebook reels I have saved of various creatives showing me how to make the cutest holiday crafts)
- Treasure hunts at local thrift stores
- Join a book club
How about you? What would you do if time was more plentiful in your life?
Now for a song by the spectacular Cindy Lauper, who just so happened to be inducted (about time LOL!) into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last weekend. This makes my Gen X heart so happy!
You are so right about, “To find peace with it.” Yes, that acceptance that we won’t be able to do it all. And I’m not sure I even have time to write my list of what I’d do with more time. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it feels like to me wallowing in despair over not having enough time is just a waste of energy. Just do the things we want to do, when we can, in spurts even, right? Thanks for commenting 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow–I had no idea Cyndi Lauper wasn’t already in the Rock Hall!! That too entirely too long. Along the lines of your dark fantasy, my whole family came down with the flu while we were staying at a hotel one time years ago. It actually was kind of nice, as terrible as that sounds, because all we could do was wait it out. And nobody (meaning me) could go to the kitchen and make tea and toast for everybody. We were all in the same boat and all helpless. All we could do was wait for us all to be over the worst so we could go home and get better. More time? I would join the gym and take more classes, read more, and take more weekends away–knowing that I would get all my work done during the week, with all the extra time I had!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was shocked to hear she wasn’t already inducted too. What an interesting reflection on having the flu during a hotel stay. It’s funny how our bodies make it known when it’s time to take a serious rest, isn’t it? I would also add “reading more” to my list of things I’d do with an abundance of time. Thanks for commenting 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person