We think about it all the … time: Time. There are helpful ways to think about it, unhelpful ways to think about it and then the decision to believe it simply doesn’t exist too. This is my three part series comprised of winding meditations on time. In the first, we’re exploring the idea of never feeling like we have enough of it--this rascal Time. The second we look at the things that are non-negotiable that we do with our time. And the last is the most Dali-esque type of one and if you tend to sneak out the exit door when things get meta or hippie dippie, stick to number one and two. If that doesn’t scare you, join the party for part 3 which is just a loosy goosy hodgepage of ethereal time type wonderings. I could probably just have said “Here’s three articles on Time” but where is the fun in that? Besos.

Part 1: The Pervasive Belief in Time Scarcity

The White Rabbit Syndrome. Or, the baby is already behind.

When did we all start feeling so behind?

I’ve always thought of it—the phenomenon of feeling behind--as the White Rabbit syndrome--us rushing and bustling all around, I’m late I’m late! No time no time!

But really, I mean, I’m truly asking this question—this feeling of CONSTANTLY.BEING.BEHIND…when did it happen?

I thought that’s what dish washers, and Rumbas, and the new mobile banking app that even allows us to avoid having to go to the bank, were supposed to take care of. They were supposed to free us up, make us feel ahead of things.

But, somehow…no.

Somehow we didn’t get all that time back and now we’re JUST DANCING!

Again, nope.

We’re haggardly blinking and cursing Time, rolling around on the ground feeling behind and overwhelmed. We’re sad about Time.

Clearly thinking about Time. Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash

This routine feels a little…unhelpful.

Imagine if our babies were born and we looked at them in the face on Day 1 and said, “MYGOD. You have so much to learn! You’re not talking yet? You’re not reading yet? You’re not walking yet? YOU’RE SO BEHIND.”

I know--it’s ridiculous!

But we do it to ourselves every single day.

Busy.

Maybe, and this is just a thought, it has something to do with the phenomenon of busy.

Everyone’s always trying to convince me that I’m so busy, SO BUSY, that I don’t have enough time. Everyone is trying to convince you of the same thing too—don’t you feel it?

All the ads, all the time management, time-saving products. Work and general life are filled with the rhetoric of “not enough time, not enough time!” “so busy, busy, busy.” If I hear or say “busy” one more time, all the fillings will fall out of my head.

All we talk about is how little time there is.

I feel like Lorde in her song “Team”: I’m kinda over gettin’ told to put my hands up in the air, so there.

I’m kinda over gettin’ told I’m so busy.

Enough

Because…the thing is…I feel like I have enough time.

This is the moment when the nerds walk into the party in the 90s movie and the record screeches and the music stops.

This simple statement “I have enough time” is likely the most blasphemous, radical statement you could possibly make in the 21st century (is that the one we’re in? Is anyone else always a little confused about what century we’re in? Just me? Oh.).

But I do. I feel that way.

I feel like I may use it in equally magical and equally questionable ways (see sidebar), but I feel there is enough of it for me.

And I feel this way even though there are approximately one zillion things I want to do in this life and I realize that I would require 10 lifetimes potentially to do them all but in the mean …TIME, I’m trying to focus on the ones that are most important to me in this particular season of life (shout out to Kat Bell on that elegant and wise wording). Time, energy and focus: The nonrenewable resources that I’m trying to mete out as best as possible. And I fail all the time but I’m trying.

Anyway, gotta go for now—time to put toys on the dog’s head.

In the second part of our series on time, we’ll look at the non-negotiable things we use our time for and probably other stuff too because I’m still editing.