One thing I’m realizing as a parent and as a busy adult is that Time is not the old friend that we always thought it was. In youth, we think we have all the time in the world but as adults we all know that just isn’t true. No matter how much time we’re given, we always wish we had more.
Time lies to us. We can do it later. There’s no rush. There IS a rush. You’ll handle that another time. There’ll be time enough for that, but not now. These are all lies we tell ourselves when either we have something we need to do but would rather not or there’s something we want to do but feel like we can’t get to. I find this happening most with my kids. They want my time but I have to work or clean the house or reorganize the garage or take care of the dogs or a million other things that take me away from the joy in my life. Next thing I know, I’m rushing around JUST to get done the absolute have-to’s. What happened to all the time I had?
Beyond being a Liar, Time is also a Thief. Time takes our energy, our happiness, even our money. How many times have you felt like you had some combination of those in abundance…but it’s some time you remember and not now. That’s because we get sidetracked and waylaid in our pursuit of our dreams and our responsibilities. While we were doing what we had to do, Time snuck in the back and stole from us.
Lastly, Time is a Murderer. None of us get out of this life alive; Time eventually comes to claim us all. But until it is our turn, we watch as it claims victim after victim. Grandparents, friends, acquaintances, parents, lovers, sometimes children. They all fall to Time’s scythe eventually. And then, at the end of it all, it comes for us.
Time is relentless. So the only thing we can do to master the time we have is to up the ante and be just as relentless, just as uncompromising. If there’s something you want, wrestle Time for it. That’s what I did with this very blog. I used the ounce of time I have between taking my kids to school to write this up each day. I’m carving Time up for writing, reading, and other goals. In 2019, Time bows to me…at least more than he used to. You can do the same thing. As hard as it is to get up a little earlier, how much harder is not and living with the disappointment and guilt of not accomplishing your goals. Or take a break during the day and handle your business. In this digital age, whatever your passion is, you can feed it just a little during your work day. These are the things I’ve started telling myself to make sure I do what I need to do. So far it’s working.
But don’t be a slave to your Time either. I’m not writing a blog tomorrow because I’m out of town with my wife working a wedding (Have I mentioned how insanely proud I am of her? She’s incredible!). I know this in advance so I can manage my expectations of my own effort. I’ll be back Friday with another blog and right back on track. I’m not going to beat myself up about it, I’m just going to use some positive self-talk to get right back in the saddle before the habit fades.
For those that are reading this, thank you for taking the time to listen to my thoughts (er…ramblings) about various things that come up as I work through my novel. It encourages me to see an audience out there.
Speaking of my novel, I think I mentioned that Book 1 is back to my editor for another revision. I’m hoping it goes well; I’m prouder of my book now than I’ve ever been. In the meantime I’m working on the sequel. Right now, I’m mapping out the scenes that will build the book. It’s early on, but the bones are there, now I’m connecting them with sinew to make a continuous narrative. Then I’ll get down to the business of writing. For me, my outline is my first draft (as I tweeted yesterday). It’s my first stab at the story and I try out different ideas (part of my outline is pretty stream-of-consciousness) until I hit on the ones that work. That’s where we are now and it’s a fun experience.
Friday, I’m going to talk about inspiration. I can’t wait to share what happened to me yesterday. It was the coolest thing to happen writing-wise in a while.
May the tide carry you to safer shores.
Much love,
BSG