Quick update: I’m sure you’ve all noticed that these most recent posts have slid into being published periodically vs weekly. A number of things manifested into my life all during this quarantine i.e. a new relationship, new house, new job, new “fuck this 6 feet apart bull shit, I need a hug!” attitude. Publishing periodically is a small change, allowing me to continue dishing out thoughtful words without burn out.
Thank you for embracing change with me.
I want to talk about time
And before writing this, I googled,“what is time?” for good measure🤷🏽♂️.
I came across a gang of drawn out, long winded explanations. You’d think it’d be a simple, consistent definition but all I got were complex theories and opinions pulled out the skulls of some Stephen Hawkings types. Amidst all the definitions, I feel one thing is for certain: time is an invisible force. A very real invisible force.
Our time…
is one of our most coveted resources, and for those of us who truly understand the value of theirs, would agree.
Every minute counts.
Time since quarantine is for the first time in a long time, in abundance (the word time in this post is also found in abundance).
This quarantine was a ‘Pass Go and Collect $200’ card for a large majority of us Americans.
Some who found ourselves with a little extra time on our hands all of a sudden, were liable not to care too much about how many minutes exactly were being thrown to the wind.
And who can blame us? Our time filled banks would regularly incur a stupid amount of charges in the form of endless social demands and distractions vying for attention, routinely leaving our banks withdrawn.
We’ve been on a starbuck sippin, text neck achin, president tweetin, mindfulness tryin, tesla drivin, fortnite gamin, climate changin, avocado toast eatin (then cheat with a steak on weekend), netflix bingin, tinder swipin, high production mode for a while now. And why? I think it’s because we are accustomed to needing to fill up our time.
Accustomed to doing.
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. - Lao Tzu
Personally, I haven’t really slowed down in a while, either. In part due to that invisible force I mentioned earlier, a sense of urgency was embedded in me. An urgency that tells me to maximize my time; Encourages me to sprint through entire seasons of my fave show in only a few days, all so I can do more.
But is doing more always necessary?
If doing more was like a race, I’d only be racing against myself.
And if that’s the case, is their a true winner?
This sense of needing to do, is something I challenge daily.
My guess is that you’ve felt that invisible force too.
Time is on our side
A wonderful quote showed up the other day while watching this mini doc on self sustainability during quarantine.
All of humanity’s problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone. - Blaise Paschal
Our lives were round-house kicked leaving us stunned. And I get it. When there’s no work schedule, a sudden abundance of free time, and lots of uncertainty, it’s easy for the days to slip through our fingers without ever getting a firm grasp.
It’s a lot of change to process, and we can take our time doing it.
Use your time wisely
What we’re experiencing together right now reminds me of a fable by Aesop, the ant and grasshopper.
The moral of the fable is, “there is a time for work and a time for play”- Aesop.
What this says to me is that during these seemingly uncertain moments, we hold more control over the rhythm our lives than we are lead to believe.
To put things in perspective: this is a unique period in history; one that has not happened so abruptly in majority of our lives. We may never have a chance to take advantage of our time like this again for a long while.
And as the world has slowed, we can use some of our new found time to work on ourselves, on our relationships, on what brings us in alignment with purpose.
With that in mind, how we use our time during quarantine is extremely important.
So how will you use yours?
Till next time y’all. With love✌🏽
Gaelan
Learn things
Yuugen (Japanese)
An awareness of the universe that triggers emotional responses that are too mysterious and deep for words.
What’s your philosophy of life? 5 Questions to craft yours.
An insightful exercise.
Look at things
Architecture by Gavin Maddock design studio
Listen to things
Shells by Teebs
Thanks for reading.
Not subscribed and want to be? Sign up here
Down to contribute or got an idea to share? Hit me up
Peace ✌🏽