Tag: life

Intentional Time Management

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This afternoon I went grocery shopping. This statement alone really means nothing. But if I tell you it was a local farmstead and local open air market then you might appreciate that this was not a typical experience. First of all I went in the middle of the day. Second this is the sort of place that does not even take credit cards but only operates in cash and check. In 2023. And so when I begin to tell you of the delight I experienced in choosing my fruits – juicy and lush plums, bags of cherries before the season comes to a close, huge containers of blueberries and strawberries at prices that make me question why or how I could ever consider shopping somewhere else. And piles, absolute piles of fresh corn, potatoes, and made from scratch pastries that just set my heart on fire. 

Early fall and harvest time always bring me joy. And savoring the delights of summer by indulging in fresh produce is a guilty pleasure of mine. It’s why we order groceries in the first place. I get distracted by the bounty and abundance in the produce section. Typically coming home without the practical foods that we need to prepare for our daily meals. And really, while I know that is an inconvenience, I would still argue that this is not a flaw. 

I am passionate about fresh and delicious food but I often find myself ill equipped to provide it. So often we’re pushing ourselves to complete dinner so that we can eat and get to the next thing. Eating itself becomes a task on a list and not an opportunity to unwind, enjoy, and savor. This happens to us all when we feel like we have so much to do and so little time. 

Lately I have been reading about time management. How in striving to complete tasks quickly we rob ourselves of the opportunity to savor and enjoy the bounty that surrounds us. Our agendas rob us of experiencing the moment. And the way we make more time for ourselves and what we love is that we simply do them.

The rest of life – the email responses, the tidying up of kitchens, will either get done or not. But rushing through the pleasures of our life only makes more time for these rudimentary tasks that are themselves endless. Because no sooner will you send an email than you will get one back. Or no quicker do you wipe down the counter than someone spills a drink. 

When we choose to take our time doing the things we love our life unfolds at a more natural pace. It begins to feel as if we have more time. For me it’s a lazy stroll through the market where I buy more fruit than one family can possibly consume. These simple joys fill my basket and my heart. The time used to treat myself leads to even more time doing the things I love. Because now I get to make zucchini bread, and eat blueberry pancakes. These simple delights blossom from one lovely occasion to many more very quickly. And instead of rushing home to complete the mundane I now feel excited. Choosing to follow my own rhythm I find myself enjoying life and that feels like the point. 

Choose Your Time Wisely

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Part of what makes life so precious is its fleeting nature. Life is temporary. This moment be it pleasant or dreadful is only a moment and in the blink of an eye it’s gone. We often believe that if we lived forever we would lack urgency. We might never tell others how important they are to us. Or delay challenging ourselves or trying new things because there would always be tomorrow. However time is one resource that is truly limited. Choose your time wisely.

I caught a clip from a film where a waitress charged a guest for their meal in years of their life. “That will be eight and a half weeks,” she scans his arm. “Take a week for yourself as well,” he adds, as a tip. It made me sick. It was a terrifying and cavalier prospect in my mind to trade our time for a lunch or service. And yet despite our current inability to add and subtract years of our life in exchange for goods and services, don’t we do that already? Simply with our choices or by virtue of our lifestyle? We add or subtract years of our life when we eat processed foods, smoke, or lead a sedentary lifestyle. We add them when we exercise or choose connection and mutually supportive relationships over unhealthy ones. 

Each of us has the opportunity to make a difference in our lives with the choices we make. When we think about those people who are important to us, those relationships we wish to nurture and develop, doesn’t it seem worthwhile to make the effort? When we choose to be present in the moment and invested in the people around us we unlock connection. Choosing not to be distracted is an act of rebellion. By engaging fully with those who are important to us we rebel against the the constructs of entertainment. We reject the advertisers and designers who strive to keep our attention locked and our pocketbooks open. 

When we distract ourselves with fruitless entertainments we cheat ourselves out of time. We believe, “it’s just minutes,” which seems to make the time feel expendable. I have a few minutes here to scroll, I’ll check my emails again. Time does not feel significant when it is stolen in scraps and small bits. And yet over a lifetime it adds up, those minutes become days, become weeks, become years. And all of that time is lost if we don’t make a point to invest it more wisely.

If we don’t cavalierly spend it on poor choices or mindless entertainment. We might choose instead to make propeller sounds. Those sounds let us fly with a kiddo to some far off land. We do not not care if the imaginary plane breaks down. Because all we have is right now with each other. We are missing nothing. All we have is this moment. Choose your time wisely. What would you like to do with it?

Finding Peace in Stillness

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I am not accomplishing anything, I am not planning my next steps I am simply here. There is sunlight pouring in through the open window. A cool fall breeze blows through the trees and all I see is open sky and leaves. Life is so beautiful in the fall. We had an exterminator come this morning. A few little mice attempted to join us as roommates this season and we are not here for that – we are not a hotel. How glorious it was to be outside in the fresh air. We walked around the house, chatted with someone new, and just absorbed the light and loveliness of a fall day. 

For lunch we grilled steaks outside and sliced them for baguette sandwiches with cartelized onions and a cream sauce of my own invention. It was a lovely meal. The perfect day to cook outdoors and share some good food. So often in the week we get moving and sucked into the hustle and bustle of agendas and tasks, the current of activities sweeping away the precious moments we have to share and enjoy as a family. It is so nourishing and deeply satisfying to take this time to meditate. To absorb and process all of the emotions we are feeling, the sensations rushing through our senses, and to really pause and reflect on all that we are and hand in this moment. 

Planning for the future is wonderful, adding to our list of duties is bound to happen. But sitting still and just absorbing the loveliness of this moment, this place, and nowhere else. That is a glorious gift. This sweet little time in which I am doing nothing but chewing the salty sweet goodness of a chocolate shortbread cookie, gazing over at the space in the sun where light is beaming through the window and onto the carpet. I think I will transition over there and bask in the sunlight as a cat might. Simply stretching and absorbing the bounty and beauty of this moment. That’s what I am going to do and nothing more, nothing less, than everything I want. 

How do you find stillness in your daily life? Does it feel like an obligation or a reward for you?