"One ought, every day at least,
to hear a little song,
read a good poem,
see a fine picture,
and if possible,
to speak a few reasonable words."
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The thesaurus offers these options for the word busy when used as an adjective: bustling, energetic, full, hectic, tireless, working and buried. It seems as though the word 'busy' has become an over used buzz word (no pun intended as in busy bee). It is not only a label to describe one's life, but it is also a blanket to cover a mirage of unnamed things. It is so overly used that it has become bland and almost irritating. Let's face it, we are all busy!
It doesn't matter if we are gainfully employed, engaged or retired. We individually fill our schedules through our own choosing. If we find ourselves overwhelmed, we can usually discover we have not been discerning. We hate to say 'no', but then who pays that price? It is amazing to discover once we withdraw our name, how quickly replacements are found.
I like to think of removing one's self as an opportunity for some one else to discover the experience we are leaving behind. Fresh opinions frequently generate new energies that revitalize for the better. With an open space on the docket, once we have declined, what do we do with this newly created space? Do we accept the pressure from another demand, do we fill it with a more pleasant pursuit or do we sit back and enjoy, at least for a while, the room for nothingness?
When determined to find balance within our days and nights, we must use as much energy in creating our pleasure as we use in framing our work. I am not talking about the length of time, but the presence of pleasure within a schedule. If necessary, we need to block out space in our planners for simple 'me' time.
Life isn't a race and the busiest bee has little chance to be nominated Queen Bee. Who are we trying to impress with our busy-ness, anyway. What would happen if we just stopped in mid-flight? What do you fear will happen if time just stood still?
Great reminder! Thanks! Often my problem is not so much in being busy as it is in letting time pass without "accomplishing" all the things I think I "should." Looking back at the end of the day and wondering "Where did all that time go?" LOL
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