Have you ever spent a day lying on your back in the sunshine, becoming part of the quiet, hearing the sounds of insects, feeling the prickle of grass on your skin?
(If not, then, try and select a day from your memory banks that is very similar in terms of resting, not working, and not feeling pressure to create.)
After a small time, when in this glorious situation, lots of things come into my mind. One of them is that I am “wasting my time”. What an unusual term that is. Only if we choose judgement and regret can time be wasted. To be quiet and allow listening can be such a re-creative use of time. Similarly to have fun dancing and singing can be a great use of time. Or to create something of beauty can be a great use of time. It depends on how we react to the value of time.
Yesterday I watched a presentation by Dr John Izzo, on things “You must learn before you die”. Here is a link, …. http://www.drjohnizzo.com/the-five-secrets-you-must-discover-before-you-die/
John interviewed 200 vibrant older people to find out the things they felt brought meaning to their lives. Like Maslow, he found that the top of the heap was “Making a Difference by returning More”. The other four were “Take More Risks” “Listen More”, “Enjoy More” and “Love More”. I guess you could say, “Live More” before you die and are no longer able to!
“Before you Die?” – because once we leave time to rejoin eternity, time becomes irrelevant and surely can’t be wasted anymore. In fact, can time ever be wasted? If the goal of life is to “live love” then I think we can waste opportunities to love, care, and act with compassion. But we can’t waste the experience, because waste means no value, and every moment of life lived is precious.
Where am I going with this? Simply this. Consider not rushing to the seconds ticking on someone else’s watch . Every aspect of now is a one-off opportunity for the unique you. This unique moment is your life. Raking the gravel of a Buddhist temple as an exercise in patience, is comparable to stacking the shelves of a supermarket in Buenos Aires during night shift.
John Izzo stated that one in five teenagers in North America want to be famous as their goal. Performing live at Covent Gardens on stage in front of 50,000 people is comparable to reaching out with all you have in your own unique personality, to the hearts of those right in front of you, now.
A week ago I watched a woman on the subway receive a call and burst into tears. I felt I should reach out and comfort her, but I was concerned about how she may react to a stranger offering kindness, so I didn’t act.
Yesterday on a bus I helped a lady who had many groceries to get out of the bus, but didn’t carry the groceries all the way to her destination because I was going a different direction. I could have.
We are not wasting time when our face and intention is towards people. But we may be wasting energy on the regret that we may have for missing the opportunity to do more.
Let’s Live More – passionately reach out with all we have, or rest our selves on our backs in the sun, but not in the shadow of time’s regret.
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