It’s been a week or two since I extended the challenge to track time for 7 days. How did you do?
If I am to be truly honest, I did really well for about 3 days… and then I lost my notebook. I know, pretty sad.
However, I learned a few things in that short period of time:
Did you know that the average life expectancy in the United States is 78 years?
Last week, Walter Breuning died in Great Falls Montana at the ripe age of 114. That’s almost double the lifespan! I wish I could sit at his feet and listen to some of the amazing experiences he encountered during his lifetime.
In an article by the Associated Press, some of Walter’s secrets to a long life are as follows:
— Embrace change, even when the change slaps you in the face. (“Every change is good.”)
— Eat two meals a day (“That’s all you need.”)
— Work as long as you can (“That money’s going to come in handy.”)
— Help others (“The more you do for others, the better shape you’re in.”)
Then there’s the hardest part. It’s a lesson Breuning said he learned from his grandfather: Accept death.
In my own family, my great-grandmother lived to nearly 105 years old. Her list was very similar to Walter’s. As a teen, she cooked for 20 or so ranch hands on her family farm in the hills of Stockton, California. She staunchly believed in the value of an honest day’s work and keeping your mind active with reading, crossword puzzles, and plenty of conversation.
So how are you doing with time tracking so far? I must admit, I almost forgot to do it, but just as I was running out the door I scrounged up a mini spiral pad and have done my best to track chunks of time. Today was an unusual day, so not sure if I should make any assumptions yet. However, it seems like every day is unusual so…
The high point of my day was that I was 15 minutes early for an appointment! That is unusual. I also took a nap in the afternoon which is extremely rare.
I think I did well with some multi-tasking (folding laundry while feeding the dogs). However I’m thinking I need to keep better track of ‘mindless’ time on the computer.
I hope you’re learning something new about yourself this week! Let me know how it’s going.
Nearly everyone I know complains at one time or another that there is, “not enough time in the day.” Busy-ness is pandemic in today’s culture. We are so overwhelmed by our heavily scheduled lives that our relationships and quality of life suffer. I cringe every time I respond to my children with “I don’t have time!” Ugh… I’m starting to believe that if it weren’t for Facebook and cell phones, I’d never have time to keep in touch with friends and family.
Is there really a lack of time? I know that that due to the rotation of the Earth in its orbit around the sun, every living thing on this planet has 24 hours in a day. It’s not as if people in Mozambique have 30 hours per day while in Virginia we only have 15. The same potential exists no matter where you are or who you are. How then, should we respond to the oppressive condition that we just can’t fit our ‘stuff’ into 24 hours? Can we “find more time” in the day?
In my post last week, I asked the question, “Do you really want to be free?”
Did you think about it?
What does freedom mean to you and what is holding you back, if anything, from experiencing complete freedom?
Caution: this is a very personal post, so if you’re not into it, feel free to click off. Continue reading
bonafidelife 