I get a bit of a chuckle every time I look at date of my previous post: January 26th! What the heck?!
You know how, upon realizing that life just moves so fast, people make the oh-so-wise observation that "time flies"? I get that a lot where I work. It's a dynamic environment - constantly changing (I'm sure everyone can relate) - so it really does feel like the pages of the calendar keep flipping. Well, I started responding to that observation with, "and then you're dead."
That'll get an odd look. "Time flies and then you're dead." Go ahead and use that line the next time someone makes the "time flies" observation and see what looks you get.
Sure, most people don't want to confront their own mortality - certainly not standing around the watercooler at 8:30 on a Monday morning. I have to say, though, that maybe we'd all do some things differently if we did recognize that time waits for no one. Is carpe diem just a fun phrase to jockey around, or a core principle by which you lead your daily life? And what does seizing the day really look like for you?
Why do we do what we do? Being a business guy, I tend to look at things from the opportunity cost perspective: if I do this, I can't do that. "If I read this book for an hour, I can't mow the grass," and vice versa. Most of us probably do what we do (go to work, do chores, go to school) because we "have to". What does it take to spin "have to" into "want to"? And what do we sacrifice by choosing what we do?
One of my all-time favorite films is The Shawshank Redemption. The day before he escapes prison, Andy Dufresne tells his buddy Red, "get busy living, or get busy dying." Now, there's some wisdom - and a little less morose than "time flies and then you're dead."
Well, that's it for now. I "want to" go mow my grass because if I don't, we'll have the worst looking lawn on the street (hmm...we'll have to talk about keeping up appearances another day!)
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2 comments:
Derek! I really enjoyed reading that...and yes, you are so right about time flying and everyone saying it all the time. I can so see you saying "and then you're dead" just to get a reaction and even a chuckle out of people. I think I view my time in a similar way as you--with the opportunity cost perspective. I am constantly asking myself, "am I making the best use of my time right now?" Actually sometimes it drives me crazy because I can't answer the question, or when the answer is "no" I feel like I should be doing something else. Maybe this is why I have problems "relaxing" or just "doing nothing." For example, right now I'm in the car driving back from Nashville (we ran the half-marathon yesterday!) and instead of enjoying the scenic views I'm on the internet emailing and doing work (yes, work...I'm on the company Sprint card with free wireless right now)...that is all for now, keep up the blogging!
Wow, Ben! Way to use the comapny resources! You weren't driving and responding at the same time, were you? Please tell me D was doing the driving. Anyway, time does fly, and then you are dead, so we should probably get together and hang out. By the way, did you see that Ben Folds himself is coming to Koka Booth on May 30th? Tis true...
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