So why don't we have time? Are we
- so caught up with the daily routine and round of duties...
- in a hurry to get things out of the way, one after another, so that we can move on to something that again needs to be done to get it out of the way...
- caught up in the belief that unless we are constantly doing something we are wasting time, our talents, money - somebody's or our own...
- under the impression that our self-image depends on what all we do, and how much we can accomplish in a day...
- holding on to this: we have to account for every moment of every day by actually showing something for all the efforts we have put in every second of the day...
- by some parameter, that we have arrived upon, deciding what is important and not important, or who is important or not important so that we can apportion our time to tasks and people accordingly...
- in the middle of all this, also passing judgements on ourselves? our looks, our talents, our capabilities....
....all the usual arguments
In all this physical rushing around and mental acrobatics, are we
- aware of ourselves? the way our heart ticks? the things our body needs? our actual strengths?
- aware of the children/people around us who need us - just now - for something?
- conscious of the fact that we are a part of the Universe and somewhere, someone needs our energies and thoughts and prayers?
....what is left of us?
We have lost touch with ourselves.
We have lost the contact with our inner core.
We are no longer at home in the only home we actually have which is our own self.
And gradually we see that we really are not giving of our best to any one thing or person because we are rushing around so, from task to task and person to person. We are the most available people to everyone and for everything...but of no use to our own self, for, when we suddenly find ourselves in the stillness of the night face to face with our own self..our reality...what do we find?
We have to
- be grateful for our life, our individual gifts, talents...
- accept that we are who we are for a very specific, customized purpose...
- protect our time...
- spend time nourishing our soul...our inner life...
- learn to be ourself and love being ourself...
- remember that there is no need to copy anyone. We are, each one, a separate, distinct individual...We can change ourself, but not to become anyone else, but better copies of our own self...
- work regular hours. If something is left over, leave it for the next round of fixed working hours; if it gets bad - well, it wasnt' meant to be and if it stays, then it was meant to get attended to...
- read books, watch movies, walk in the rain...
- pray...
- switch off all devices at certain times of the day and reconnect to our core...
- wear purple...Do whatever we want to...would love to do...pine to do...
Two centuries ago, Danish philosopher Kierkegaard lamented our greatest source of unhappiness — “Of all ridiculous things,” he wrote, “the most ridiculous seems to me, to be busy.”