MUSINGS and other writing by Mark Kolke

DEPTH OF US

 

 

The energy/time v. fatigue/shortness of time we all experience every week make the Monday through Friday experience difficult for many of us ~ which in turn focuses many of us on weekend rest, recovery, and relaxation: the three R’s.

 

It is convenient to see things that way.

 

As it is convenient to excuse everything difficult as something to be endured.

 

Why don’t we have the energy?

 

Why don’t we have the time?

 

There is not energy-sapping time thief lurking in our homes or offices, the only one stealing our energy and starving us of time is the person in our mirror. We have met the enemy – and the enemy is us.

 

In a world of turmoil, whether or not we have adversity or chaos in our personal situations, it is difficult to not be dragged into the daily 24/7 rabbit hole of news, social media, new media, old media, streaming-everything – which makes the ‘we want to distance ourselves from our parents’ feeling most young couples think and act on into a cause célèbre when members of the British royal family do it. It isn’t real life or our issue – but we like to be voyeurs, or, instead, we’ve been trained like seals or Dr. Pavlov’s dogs to eat it up…

 

Our life, everything we consume, make, dream or experience is as unique as any snowflake – and almost always of no interest to the other snowflakes. Every minute or hour devoted to the social media landscape, news media, and entertainment should lead to something we identify and recognize as a diversion from every other thing in our life. Something we need to budget time and resources for, like every other item in our life.

 

We may, through improving our lifestyle and healthier living, live longer – but is that living better?

 

I am doing a lot of things to make my life long, but I may have no choice in how long I have notwithstanding every effort I make. I live with that risk, with that uncertainty – we all do.

 

What I can do, what I am consciously trying to do every day with often dodgy results (but it seems like I’m making progress), is to make my life more profound and more valuable – first for my own physical and mental well-being, but also to do good works, to do some good deeds, to be a worthy friend, to be a good citizen, to be a contributor rather than a leech on my world, my country, my environment…

 

So, where am I going with this?

 

Not a rant, but methinks a worthy cause.

 

A life is long, full of hills and valleys of worth, happiness, work, worry, wealth, and impoverished spirit; what we do, how well and deeply we do it, matters little to any of the other snowflakes.

 

But, if we desire to do more and be of more value to anyone, or to ourselves, we need to dig deeper and longer.

 

Longer is something we can influence but not wholly control – not yet anyway.

 

But deeper?

 

Yes, we can do that.

 

We can make our lives fuller, do more for others, accomplish worthy things – or idly waste time.

 

It’s a weekend – time for rest, recovery, and relaxation.

 

Take a break.

 

Then, back to work.

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