Time is precious, it really is.
Yet I don’t think people realise how precious it is, and how they waste the time they have.
I see so many people rushing from one moment to another, without fully appreciating the moment they are in.
Delaying the full enjoyment of this, because of the hope or fear of that which may be coming down the line.
This moment is treated much like a bus stop, at best, a place to wait until you can get somewhere else.
So much life being spent, willy nilly, un-aware.
So much attention lost on things you have no control over, worrying about people, worrying about what they might think of you, lost in gossip and trivia on social media, lost in some other moment.
Getting ready, preparing, girding your loins ... all much the same: waiting, anticipating, hoping for the perfect moment.
It’s crazy.
Don't waste your moments. They truly are precious.
Be careful with the "life deferment" too.
I was in the spa the other day (a rare occasion, but lovely to sit in the steam room all by myself, letting my pores open with herbal nice things) and I overheard a couple of guys explaining their life plan to each other.
Basically it came down to work horrendously hard now and retire earlier.
Do long hours in a job they didn’t sound too keen about, pushing their blood pressure through the roof, leaving the house before the kids wake up and getting home after they’re in bed.
But the reward of an early retirement!
It could seem worth it … but at what cost?
I know the above is an extreme example, but until we see it clearly in our own lives, not many people realise how much they do it.
We delay the nowness of life for “too busy” all the time. Stress and ill-health and lost moments seem like a great trade for later.
“I’ll just get this done and then …” but it never ends.
“When it all settles down I’ll then …” but does it ever settle down?
The goalposts constantly shift all the time. What was a plan becomes extended and extended … for a bit more and a bit more (and a bit more).
The fact is the ride doesn’t stop, unless you take steps to get off.
You are the one that has to make some decisions, bring some priorities forward. You have to make some choices in how you spend your time.
Sometimes that's making different choices. Why do something that's killing you? Slowly maybe, but killing you nonetheless.
Maybe it is doing the same thing, but doing it differently.
Doing your best – but not being so emotionally invested in the thing so not causing yourself an ulcer and lost nights sleep over those annoying things that you have no control over.
Realise your amount of time here is not guaranteed either.
There isn’t a guaranteed "later".
We just assume we have 80 years plus or whatever, and yet that's not certain.
Even if it was, I'm not sure that trading stress and strained relationships, postponed promises and missed moments because you were busy or distracted or absent is worth it.
But I would say that as an Ishaya monk, wouldn’t I?
It’s alright for me … I don’t have any responsibilities – or so I’ve been told.
The fact is that one of the reasons I became a monk was because I saw me delaying my life for some future moment and so I took steps to stop it.
I didn’t want to defer life until later and then find out there wasn’t one.
Live now. Wait, defer, waste not.
(It's a practice, a habit, a skill you can master. It's something you will see clearer and clearer. It will get easier and easier, but you do have to prioritise that practice.)
Make the most of now. This is the only moment you can live. Anything else is not for certain.
Don’t wait for a later – there might not be one