Time Found

40:41…40 little minutes and 41 even littler seconds. That’s all it took, to re-realize the power of time not lost.

Time is an elusive creature, one I find myself hunting routinely and with limited success. I am usually trying to stuff a few more hours’ worth of living into my always-a-bit-too-busy days. 24 just doesn’t seem to do the trick.

This past weekend I reclaimed a precious chunk of time typically ignored. It was just over 40 minutes…not even an hour. But something valuable came of those minutes and it is perhaps worth sharing.

One of my parenting duties (and surprisingly – to me – one of my parenting joys) is going to my older daughter’s soccer games. Part of the job of soccer mama is getting my girl to the field 45 minutes before each game. Usually, I spend those 45 minutes in idle chit chat on the sidelines. This week, no doubt inspired by a glorious spring morning, I reclaimed those minutes for my own and took myself on a run.

It turns out that those 40 minutes were among the quietest and most contemplative in my week. I was able to consider life situations that needed consideration. I was able to fit in the exercise I really needed on that filled-to-the-brim day. It did take a little bit of planning. A tinge of flexibility. But all in all, taking back those 40 little minutes was a win-win-win. No one slighted. Nothing missed. Mind quieted.

Most of us feel it…the frantic energy of all that there is to do. We have families and jobs and homes. We absentmindedly stalk Facebook or Instagram. We work out and do laundry and shop. We open emails and we accept invitations. We sign up and sign up and sign up and then we give up. We give up chunks of our precious time, every day.

I learned a different lesson about time in December of 2013. One of my dearest friends suffered from a brain aneurism on December 1. By December 2, those of us who love her were vying for positions by her side in ICU. Ultimately, she prevailed. But in that month, that long and scary and beautiful month, we found time. We found it hiding in corners and lurking amidst less important tasks.

Finding time for what truly matters isn’t necessarily easy or obvious or without compromise. But there is a little cushion built into most lives. And it’s amazing what we can manage when we really mean it, by paying close attention to each gorgeous hour and every amazing minute.

With all the time and love in the world,

Christine