Taking Time

Hey! How’s it going? Diane here, just checking in to see how you are. And no. I’m not checking
in to check up on you. At least not this time…
You know something? It’s good to be alive! There are so many amazing things to enjoy—tall
grass and winding rivers, spicy food and smooth drinks, interesting people, and cuddly dogs....
(Bailey’s ears just perked up. She always knows when I’m talking about her.) Sometimes, I just
want to start singing “What a Wonderful World.” You know what I mean? I thought so.
But that feeling of full-on joy doesn’t come every day. In fact, it only comes when I take time to
appreciate—or notice—all the good things around me.
Ah yes, time. There are two things we never seem to have enough of: time and money. But while
we can always figure out how to recover from a financial loss, we can’t get back the time we’ve
lost—at least not yet. Unless you’re Doctor Who.
Time is a nonrenewable resource, one that’s in short supply, relativity speaking. (Get it,
Einstein?) So, what do we do? Most of us rush around trying to waste as little time as possible.
We do everything we can to increase our efficiency and accomplish more in a shorter period. We
talk about how “productive” our day was. And when we do that, we forget something very
important: Good things take time.
Time and money don’t work the same way. Look, no matter what we do, we can’t save time
and spend it later. Life doesn’t work that way. We can squeeze as much as we’re able out of an
hour, but once the sand in that hourglass runs out? It’s gone.
But here’s the thing. It’s not a problem. Certainly not one we need to worry about. Instead, we
can choose to take a longer view and embrace the joy of watching things grow. That’s because
taking time and wasting time are very different things.
Think about it. A little speck of a seed is blown by the wind and falls into the ground in your
grandparents’ yard the day they move into their first (and last) house. In time, the seed grows
roots no one can see. In more time, a little sapling sprouts up. A few years later, it’s a small tree.
But after a couple of decades, your grandfather hangs a tire swing from one of the branches on
your fifth birthday. Incredible!
When you internalize this concept, things that take time no longer disturb your universe. In fact,
you can begin to make time work for you—instead of against you.

For instance, think about one or two of your Most Important Goals. Are they things that are
likely to happen overnight? In a week? A year? Probably not. The goals we reach first may be
quickies, but as we stretch to new heights, the process of achieving them usually takes longer.
And that’s ok. The things that take time are almost always worth the time they take.
So, breathe deeply and give yourself permission to take the time you need to accomplish the
bigger things. And if you can’t quite manage to give yourself permission, I’ll give you mine.

Remember who loves you, ;-)
--Diane

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