even the things we love the most fight for time
If life worked like an equation, we would think that, at the end of it, we spent the highest percentage of our time doing either (a) things that meant the most to us; or (b) things that meant the most to the people closest to us. I might even add a (c) or (d) — things that meant the most to the betterment of the human condition, or that were most spiritually fulfilling.
Few to none of us do (a), (b), (c) or (d).
Activities that bring happiness and fulfillment, it seems, are more like a desert than a meal. They aren’t where we spend most of our time.
So what’s the real equation?
I am five years old. My father, who is 39 years old, has bought a used little red sports car. It only seats 2 people, so either my sister, or brother, or me can go with him in it, but only one of us at a time. He has been working on something out in the driveway for a bunch of weekends. Finally, he tells my mother that he is headed out to test it, and I get to go with him.
It is a windsurfer, although in those (long ago) days, it was called a “sailboard”.
I am sitting on the shore on a beach in Florida, watching my dad repeatedly fall over trying to figure out how to windsurf. He eventually figured it out. I had a little styrofoam surfboard I got to try later after he came to shore. It squeaked when I used it, which was mostly as a paddleboard.
The things we love (or hate) tend to dominate our memories. That seems to be the equation. With good fortune, the former outweigh the latter; however, there is always some of both.
Life requires support and maintenance to continue, which means things like working and sleeping will take up most of our time. But they enable and empower us to do the most important things.
the things she knew shared lavishly wondrous stories
My oldest granddaughter is an artist. She is six years old.
I know she is an artist because the drawing is never just a drawing. Each is a story.
By the time I see her and her brother in the evenings, I’ve already been awake for something like 15 or 16 hours and at work for 13 or 14. I don’t have a lot to give, but I try to give it. Because one of these days, I can never know which ones, will become their memories, the ones that stick.
What makes something a priority is not how much time you spend on it, but how much of your heart goes into the time you are able to spend.
