Hi and welcome to Calm in the Chaos,
Your cozy corner of the internet with me,
Charlie Olbers.
Today I want to talk to you about time.
When you think of your day,
How does time factor for you?
Are you always bouncing from task to task or are you a measured quantifiable marker of time,
Ensuring the tasks are ticked off before proceeding to the next?
When you think logically,
Time is simply the space between the beginning and the end of something.
It is the doing.
Yet we are always rushing to fulfil that time quota in the day.
Gotta get up by a certain time and have certain tasks ticked off by xyz and if by the time we go to bed and ABC isn't done,
We feel like a failure.
Constantly watching the time,
Measured by the tasks we have done,
And if there should be space,
We fill it.
More tasks equals more success after all.
It's what we are built for,
To keep busy,
Keep going.
Pausing is for losers,
Always be working,
Until you can't.
Maybe you don't measure time at all.
Maybe you are one of the lucky ones who never knows the time.
You are a rare bird if that is you.
Never change because that innocence is beautiful.
I often joke how I will retire to a ramshackle home in France.
I will wake and grab my battered bicycle and a loaf of bread,
And I will cycle to the water to fish.
Living each day in blissful ignorance of time,
Enjoying the peaceful simplicities no acknowledgement of time can bring.
Nature uses time and if we as humans could learn one thing from nature,
It would be to slow down and have patience.
The end of winter and the beginning of spring heralds the time for seeds that have been planted to start to come to life.
They sit patiently under the blankets of snow,
Waiting for the weather to change so they can sprout.
They're not in a hurry,
They're not marking time.
So maybe we should consider time as the seeds we have planted.
Maybe then we will slow down and appreciate it.
Time is precious after all.
It is finite.
Once it's gone,
It's gone.
But we are all so ready to fill our days,
Afraid for the space between what has been and what will be.
Afraid of the silence?
Perhaps.
But more than that,
Afraid of missing out.
We live in a fast-paced society.
Fast food,
Fast cars,
Whizzing from place to place consuming small nuggets of information,
Downloaded into our brains over social media.
Nothing is savoured anymore.
But if we just press pause and stop to savour our lives,
We can see the real beauty in our world.
Patiently waiting for the shift in time.
Of things to come when stories are told and life is gently unfolding at a pace of our choosing.
The irony is not lost on me that companies gift employees watches in the UK when they leave the business after decades of servitude.
Here you are.
Thank you for your service,
But don't think you can rest just yet.
You can wear this watch to check your time each and every day.
Go on,
Wear it,
And live your life by the ticking hand that slowly moves until it stops.
It's funny,
You know.
I no longer wear a watch.
Yet I know the time more now than I did when I wore one.
I measure my day by tasks and tick boxes.
I was gifted.
I was gifted a beautiful watch on my graduation by my parents,
And when it stopped working,
I put it away and forgot about it.
I have not worn a watch since then.
I don't miss it.
Now I need to stop measuring my day by tasks and tick boxes and go more with the flow.
There will be no more feeling of failure.
Tomorrow is another day.
And now for your mindful moment.
If it is safe to do so,
Lay on your back or sit comfortably.
Have your arms loosely by your side.
Close your eyes.
Imagine you are relaxing in a field of clover,
Nestled in the beautiful English countryside with sheep grazing nearby.
The sun is shining down,
And you're feeling and you're feeling rested and relaxed.
Inhale a big breath.
As you do so,
Imagine your hand touching the cool water in the gently flowing stream.
You hear the sweet sounds of the birds in the nearby trees,
And the gentle tinkle of the cowbells in the next fields.
Breathe out.
Feel the earth expanding around you,
Enveloping you,
Grounding you to feel safe,
Connected,
Secure.
You have nothing to do.
You have nowhere to go.
All you need to do is be in this moment right now,
Rested and relaxed.
Repeat this when you're feeling anxious or feel that you're rushing through time.
Using your imagination is a great tool for feeling grounded.
You can choose whatever location suits you.
Just remember to be in a safe environment if you're going to close your eyes.
Thank you for listening.
Join me next time for some more Calm in the Chaos.
