Due to a recent acute, but short-term illness, I’d been forced to not only take a few days off, but also to not run any errands or normal things I’d do on a day off. This post is a bit shorter, but that’s because there is something important that YOU need to have time to do at the end. We’ll get there in a minute. Back to my sick day.
I do not usually lack any kind of agenda for the day. But apart from symptoms of the illness, I actually enjoyed the complete lack of schedule. It did last long, but for the short time I was otherwise unavailable, it was enlightening.
It is very hard for me to lack an agenda for a day. It’s a disorienting and yet, refreshing moment. It makes you evaluate what you wish you could be doing, the effort it takes to do things, and the things that you would be doing if you were in a normal day. Sometimes things you would be doing aren’t what you would choose to do on a normal basis, but having that privilege withdrawn makes them more appealing.
Ahhh, you want what you can’t have.
But it does make you reevaluate your priorities, your dreams, your hopes. Even though you can’t actively pursue them in that moment.
Maybe that’s a good thing too.
You need that time to get the full picture. Time to process and fill out the edges of dreams. Ideas come and go and with time they take shape, gain focus and clarity.
Example:
A home, Id like a home.
Where?
What does it look like?
…
The furture…
A future- who is in it?
What does an everyday look like?
…
There’s music.
I’ve always wanted to make music.
What kind of instrument could I play?
When would I practice?
…
The weather is nice.
I’d like to take more walks.
Would I be taking walks if I wasn’t sick today?
What would I be doing instead?
Why are there so many things that I don’t like, that I choose to do over things I admire?
…
These are some of the thoughts that floated in my mind as I indulged my illness.
As much as I hated being ill, I found I was grateful too. I never would have stopped and evaluated my daily choices otherwise. There are things I do to relax that I neither value, nor admire. I tend to watch TV shows and view that as my “relaxation” time. I see no benefit in it. I have other options, like take a walk if the weather is nice, play an instrument if not. Refresh my home with a project, or learn a skill. Even reading a book seems more redeeming than the mindlessness of a screen. I’m sure you could think of many, many more things. All these other options are things I admire in other people, bring value to life and improve the future.
I suppose I view it like this: Imagine the currency of the world is time. You pay for services or items in minutes and hours of your life. You receive items in return for your time. It’s similar to what we do now. You donate 8 hours of your life (day) and receive vouchers (money) for items and services. Now, why would I surrender a half hour of my life for a TV show? There is no medical benefit. No skill acquisition or long lasting benefit. It doesn’t leave me happier, healthier, richer or wiser.
So, Id encourage you to set aside some time to evaluate:
What are you trading your time (your life) for?
You ARE spending it on something.
Set an appointment at a place where you can think and reflect, which may not be a quiet place, depending on your personality.
Don’t be afraid of what you may find.
Any discovery simply means you have more information, more power to decide. This is your life remember? Maybe take a step, make a small change and redeem your time, bit by bit.
We can do this.
Thanks for visiting!