The Illusion of Time

'The Secret' talks of how powerful your thinking is. If you think, believe and act like you have a shortage of money ... that shortage translated into you in life. And so (I believe), it is with time.

I had an entire day at my disposal yesterday. 24 hours in which to choose my own direction. Sure, I had goals. But most importantly I felt that I had an excessive amount of time to work with.

I played while I worked (the mindless task of doing statements is ever so much more fun when you turn on the music and sing and dance a little while you are doing it). At one point during the job, I could hold a conversation without affecting the speed in which I was working. The job took 4 hours to complete. But I had fun while I did it.

Grocery shopping has become my most dreaded chore. With my leftover time at the end of the statements, I got that trip to the grocery store taken care of. But what did I do to add a different dimension to that task? I decided to quickly check out the clothing stores at the mall. It is time to start thinking about my costumes and accessories for the upcoming dance showcase. It added a spark to the dreary task of filling the cupboards on a cool, cloudy and somewhat miserable day.

I like my weekend to start with a clean house, so I had my 'Friday chores' to work into the day. Once the kids came home from school, I knew I was limited as to what I could accomplish. So I thought that I may as well start cleaning when the kids were home and settled in. I can't begin to count the interruptions that I had, as I went about my cleaning. But eventually ... it got done.

By the time my weekend officially began at 6 pm last night, I felt that all of the must-do items on my eternal-to-do-list were done. And the best part? At no point in my day, did I feel like I was racing against the clock.

The clock and I are forever waging battles against each other. I race to try and accomplish "X" amount of things in "Y" amount of time. When I must be someplace, I leave the house as late as I possibly can so that I don't waste any time sitting around waiting for an appointment time. When we drive long distances, the timer in my mind is set the moment we back out of the driveway. How long will it take to get there?

How much work can I squeeze into a set amount of time? How fast can I get from "A" to "B"? How many errands can I run with the limited time that I have between one commitment and another? How much can I get done before my daycare kids go home for the day? How fast can I finish a course? How far can I push the limits so that I can accomplish as much as possible with the time that I have at my disposal?

My dance instructor calls me "Speedy" ... I carry my energy onto the dance floor (and takes a great amount of pleasure in trying to slow me down at times). Why do I feel that there is never enough time?? Why don't I slow down??

Well yesterday ... I did. I relaxed and let the day unfold in its own way, at its own pace. My heart slowed down ... I felt the music that I enveloped myself in ... I puttered the day away and climbed a few hills.

I didn't move mountains yesterday. The day seemed to go on forever as I slowed down and enjoyed the music of my life.

I need to carry the thought of 'excessive time' into the days ahead. Breathe and savor the moment. And trust that there are many more of those moments ahead ...